Affairs Of The Heart
by writetoinspire
Summary: No matter how much Aria and Ezra try to stay away from each other, they are found in situations making it impossible to deny their feelings.
1. Insomnia

"_Don't eat, no matter how tired,_

_I can't sleep, I can't stop thinking why we can't make it work,_

_Compromise, 'cause I deserve it,_

_In my bed, tossing and turning,_

_In my head, fire still burning,_

_Like the first, day we met,_

_The way we were, just can't forget it"_

It had been almost two months since I had met him. Almost two months since we met in that bar and talked. Two months since we first kissed. And although my attempts failed in the first two weeks of trying to convince him that what we felt was right, that we could still be together. It still didn't stop me from feeling for him, from thinking about him, wanting him even though I knew it was wrong. But as he made it abundantly clear in the first two weeks that what we had was a mistake and nothing more could come of it, I had no choice but to accept it. I couldn't force the situation, especially considering our situation could be the reason he would go to jail. I just couldn't risk it. Still I would sit there in silence during his class trying to ignore my feelings, every so often looking up at him from my desk, only to find him looking back at me until our eyes meet and he quickly looks away.

The bell finally rings, indicating that class was over. As people start to hurry out the door I begin packing my things away, accidentally knocking over my bag in the process. I sigh frustrated and not just with my scattered things as I crouch down trying to gather everything as quickly as possible. I look up hoping the room isn't emptied out yet, hoping I'm not the last one left. I steal a glance to look at Ezra to find him looking back at me. He begins to move around his desk as if to come and help me but stops when he notices Spencer walking toward my desk. He looks at me helplessly for a moment longer before he retreats to the other side of his desk, shuffling through papers looking somewhat conflicted. Secretly grateful Spencer's waiting for me I rush to throw the last few items in my bag and exit the room, me moving much quicker than usual. Once outside I sigh partially relieved from the awkwardness but also partially fed up with the situation, which really is no situation if you look at it that way.

"Hey Spence, do you still have that Prada clutch you brought to Melissa's graduation?" Hanna asks as Spencer and I approach her and Emily by the lockers.

"Yeah I'm sure I still have it, why?"

"I need to borrow it, it totally completes my outfit." Hanna's face lights up in clear excitement for the winter formal dance tonight. She of course is going with Sean, Spencer with Alex and since Mya was visiting family for the weekend, Emily and I decided to go stag. Though this didn't really sit well with Hanna who was obsessed with getting me to go with Noel Kahn.

"Aria I seriously don't get why you won't just go with Noel. He's really into you and seriously cute, not to mention you've had a crush on him all through middle school." She looks at me questioningly.

"I'm just not into him". I respond for the millionth time.

"How could you not be into Noel Kahn? It's Noel Kahn we're talking about. Biggest crush since middle school, every girl wants to date him. What's the problem?" I sigh frustrated as she persistently goes on. "Look no ones saying you have to be into him. Just go with him and see what happens." Her pushy gaze shifts from me to something moving past me. I turn just in time to see Ezra having past me, his back now facing me as he walks down the hall.

"Hey Mr Fitz!" Hanna calls. "You coming to the dance tonight?"

He turns and awkwardly smiles back at our group. "Uh, yeah I'll be there." He says as he stiffly nods and smiles trying to appear enthusiastic, not long before it fades and he turns to walk away.

"We'll see you there!" Hanna calls, too busy thinking he's hot to notice how awkward that was.

Since Emily and I are going stag, we decide to turn up to the dance together. I walk into the dance wearing a fitted white strapless dress that fans out near the waist, a pair of black lacey gloves, black strappy heels and a chunky black necklace to match the theme of my outfit. All tied together with my hair curly and done up off my shoulders with a few strands pulled out. Emily stands beside me wearing a fitted dark purple dress that hugs her slender figure, golden strappy shoes, a wrist full of a few golden bangles and her hair in loose waves. The casual yet effortlessly flawless look Emily always pulls off so well.

We scan the crowd until we spot Hanna and Spencer standing on the dance floor off to the side. We make our way over, Hanna's eyes lighting up when she sees us making our way towards her. "You guys look amazing! Em, Mya doesn't know what she's missing!" Emily smiles shyly, responding with a soft thank you. Hanna then turns to me and says, "Fortunately for you Noel does know what he's missing." I roll my eyes and just before Hanna has a chance to say anything else Spencer quickly cuts in, "Have you guys met Alex yet?" Quickly changing the subject as Alex himself approaches us with two drinks in hand. He hands one to Spencer as she continues to introduce Emily and I, indulging in some light conversation.

A few hours later the dance is in full swing. I had danced, drank and ate to my hearts content with my peers. The night was turning out to be better than I had expected, with the exception of the yearning I felt in my heart when I saw Ezra looking unbelievably handsome and Hanna's constant Noel remarks. However it seemed my luck was beginning to change as all of Hanna's hard work of trying to get me and Noel together was paying off when Noel finally asked me to dance. Not really wanting to dance with him I got guilted into saying yes, feeling bad for all the effort he had been making tonight. We danced for a while and then the awkward moment came when a slow song started to play. Noel held out his hand for me to take and gently wrapped his other arm around my waist as we moved slowly to the music.

"I'm really glad you came tonight. When Hanna told me you weren't coming I thought I'd missed my chance for sure. But then she told me she managed to convince you otherwise?" He looks at me with questioning eyes and that charming Noel Kahn smile everybody loves.

"Yeah, well you know Hanna. She can be persistent." Sarcasm apparent in my voice, realising when I see the slightly shocked look on his face he actually wanted me to say something to convince him I came here tonight for him. I smile and laugh nervously, my unsuccessful attempt of trying to pass it off as a joke.

We continue to dance and the more we sway to the music the more I begin to realise how wrong this feels. Noel's arms around me, his body so close to mine, his eyes looking into mine. None of it feel right, it all feels sort of offbeat. Somewhat miss matched and awkward like we don't fit together. He continues to look at me as we move to the music, and I continue to look anywhere else but in his eyes. Every so often giving him a quick smile as I look away, only to notice Hanna smiling enthusiastically at me while dancing with Sean.

Once the song ends I make up a quick excuse about going to the bathroom and head for the doors leading into the hallway. Feeling as though I just needed to get out of there I continue to walk until I find an empty classroom. I sit there for a while collecting my thoughts. What's wrong with me? Noel is a great guy and I'd be crazy not to like him but something just didn't feel right while we were dancing and I know that something is Ezra. The whole time Noel had his arms around me I was trying not to think about the first time I met Ezra and how we ended up hooking up in the bathroom of that bar, with his arms wrapped around me and his lips pressed against mine. I sit there reminiscing, almost as if I can feel that moment. The touch of his hands, his lips, his smell. All embedded into my memory.

"Your not really supposed to be in here." I look up, thoughts interrupted as I turn to follow where the voice came from. But even I know without looking who the voice belongs to.

"I, umm." I pause looking down before looking back at him. "Sorry I just needed to get some air." I respond looking away.

"In a class room?" He asks with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Yeah. I guess." My voice sounding light, with the detection of a smile behind it. This has been the first time we have spoken in months. All those times I had wondered whether we'd ever speak again, just me and him. And now that the moments presented itself I'm at a loss for words, I have no idea what to even say.

"You seem to be having a good time." He makes his way into the classroom, placing himself on one of the desks, two rows down from the teacher's desk where I remain perched.

"Yeah. I just needed to get away for a bit." I say still looking down at the floor.

"Away from Noel?" He asks in a stern tone. I look up at him as I respond bluntly, "amongst other things."

He shuns away from my response for a moment before he looks at me again, this time seeming slightly annoyed. "You two seem to be hitting it off." His sentence saying more than just words.

"Yeah well, he's a great guy." We continue to stare at each other in silence, neither one of us daring to back down, until he finally breaks our gaze.

"Are you going to start seeing him?" He turns his head looking to the side of the room trying to appear as if he doesn't really care.

"Would it bother you if I did?" I respond defensively, knowing by his actions that it would. He turns to me in surprise before looking down, taking a moment to compose himself as he looks back up at me and says, "No it's none of my business. Just curious." He shrugs as he looks away, maintaining his cool exterior. This only begins to anger me. "Why" I say, bluntly and impatiently.

"What do you mean?" He turns looking confused.

"Why now? You haven't spoken to me in what, almost two months. You've ignored me in every opportunity you get and now all of a sudden two months later you're curious about my love life. Curious to know if I like Noel Kahn. Or if I'm seeing him?" My words come rushing out in anger. A part of me can tell he's a little jealous but the other part doesn't understand why when he's made it so clear he wants nothing to with me. He stares at me speechless, so I decide to carry on. "Why now? After all this time you care?" I know my words sounded harsher than they needed to be, built up over two months of anger and desperation but by the look on his face they hit home.

"I never stopped caring." His words spoken softer than mine, catching me off guard. "I never meant to ignore you." He looks down away from me, taking a moment to choose his words carefully before he looks back up at me. His eyes now seeming hard, cold as ice. "I'm sorry. It was an inappropriate question to ask. I'm your teacher. Nothing more." I look at him, eyes wide in shock. I knew what his words meant but I also knew it was a lie more meant for him than me. I couldn't take it, not again. Not after the last time we had this conversation, resulting in me failing to convince him otherwise miserably. I couldn't do it again, the false hope. Just like that I suddenly get up and bolt out the room. I have to get out of here. Out of this room, out of this school. He calls after me but I'm too quick even in my heels, as I make my way back into the dance trying to find Emily so we can leave.


	2. Turning Tables

"_Close enough to start a war,_

_All that I have is on the floor,_

_God only know what we're fighting for,_

_All that I say, you always say more,_

_I can't keep up with your turning tables,_

_Under your thumb I can't breathe"_

It has been almost three weeks since the dance had passed. The novelty of the night had worn off as all the excitement was over and all the gossip from the night had settled. Everyone got back to going about their normal lives. As for me, I did too. Ezra and I went back to being nothing more than teacher and student, awkwardly catching glances at each other every now and then until one of us quickly looks away.

We hadn't really spoken since the night of the winter formal, when I ran out the classroom, finding Emily only to convince her I wasn't feeling too well and that we had to leave immediately. Luckily for me she was too distracted with missing Mya to have any fun, she more than willingly agreed to leave without a second thought. After the dance I didn't really know how to face Ezra. Knowing we left things unsaid, parting on or rather, on my part, running off on bad terms. I didn't really know what to say to him. If I should even bother talking to him. Whether he even wanted to talk to me again. After the first week had passed I had no choice but to suck up my pride and make the first move since I actually needed help on the homework assignment. Oh the irony…

FLASHBACK

_The bell had rang moments ago as people started to gather their things and rush out the door. Everyone except for me. I packed my things away slowly purposely trying to be the last one left. I knew I had to talk to him about the homework assignment, I just wished it wasn't after the dance and the tense confrontation we had had. Finally building the courage I needed, I approached his desk._

"_Can I talk to you?" I say startling him._

"_Uh. Yeah, sure. Is this about the homework assignment?"_

"_Yeah." Both of us begin watching the door as the last few students leave the room. Once we were the only ones left in the room I begin. "I wanted to talk to you about-"_

"_Aria I think we should just talk about the homework assignment from now on." He looks at me with a stern, authoritarian look. Reminding me of his words from the night of the dance. "I'm just your teacher. Nothing more." I open my mouth to speak but he cuts me off again._

"_If it's not about school or the homework assignment, I don't think we have anything else further to discuss." I look at him stunned, as he stands their waiting for my response._

"_This is about the homework assignment." His eyes widen at the sudden realisation of his miscalculated assumption that I wanted to discuss anything but. He quickly clears his throat as he begins to awkwardly ask "Erm, w-what did you want to discuss?" I look at him for a moment too long, making him squirm. There's nothing I can say, nothing I can do. Not that I even had any intention for that except a little guidance on my English Literature assignment._

"_You know what." I pause contemplating whether I should say something about his prior assumption or just let it go. Realising its just not worth it, I say "Don't worry about it. I'll just ask Spencer instead." Giving him a short smile as I turn to walk out the classroom, leaving him speechless as he opens his mouth to speak but realising it's too late._

To say the least, everything had gone back to normal. My phone buzzes on the table flashing with a new message. I put my book down to retrieve it, only to see it was from Noel. One of the few things that did change after the dance was Noel and I. Ever since the dance he's been paying me more attention than usual, wanting to hangout, go see a movie or a band. I kept blowing him off hoping eventually he'd get the message but that still didn't stop him from messaging me. I put the phone down and picked up my coffee, deciding I'll get back to him later with some excuse about being busy with Spencer. Technically it wouldn't be a lie since Spencer was here but she left a while ago and I decided to stay and hangout by myself for a while before I had to meet Ella for dinner. Mike was out tonight and Byron had some meeting to go to so since it was just Ella and me, we decided to eat out.

I look down at my coffee wondering whether I'll have time for another. Deciding against it I look back up, suddenly frozen in place, eyes transfixed. Ezra had just walked in walking toward a vacant table. He doesn't notice me until he sits down a few tables in front of me to the left. Feeling like we're back in his classroom we both stare at one another until one of us looks away. He distracts himself with the menu but even though he had broken our gaze I could still tell he was thinking about me, watching me in his mind, every so often stealing a quick glance at me.

I look down at my watching wondering how I'm going to pass the time in this awkwardness. I still had a while to go and time seemed to be slowing down. I look back up in time to see a tall, slender, stunning brunette walk over toward Ezra's table as he gets up to hug her and they both take a seat. Once again I was frozen in place, eyes transfixed. _Was this his new girlfriend? Since when? At the winter formal it seemed like he still cared. He was even jealous over Noel!_

My face must have mirrored the shock I felt on the inside as Ezra kept frantically fidgeting, stealing more than one or two obvious glances at me. The woman who he was with noticed as she turns around to look in my direction before turning back to Ezra to ask "Do you know her?"

Ezra's eyes go wide as if he's just been caught out. "Uh yeah. She's erm…my student." The woman turns back around to look at me again as I look away.

"Oh I forgot, this must be so awkward for you. Seeing students out of school hours." If only she knew how we met.

"Erm yeah but it's a small town."

"Not like New York." She says with a smile in her voice.

"Rosewood has its perks." He says as he quickly looks at me picking up a menu again.

"You'll have to show me these perks." Voice laced with flirtation. Ezra weakly smiles and quickly looks down at his menu.

They continue to talk a while longer as they order an early dinner. The woman sounding much older, sophisticated, confident. Is this what he likes? I clearly hold none of these traits, especially not the part about being older.

I finally decide I can't take it anymore. I need to get out. It was torture enough having to be in the same classroom as him as his student but this, him with another woman, this was killing me. I get up quickly grabbling my things to leave as I walk past his table quickly, avoiding his gaze as I stare straight ahead. I'll have to find some other way to kill time, or maybe just call Ella for an earlier dinner.

The weekend passed by too quickly and before I knew it, it was already Monday. I sat in his class during our usual routine. Except this time I wasn't looking at him. I stare down at my desk, unmoving, replaying the Saturday I saw him at the Rosewood Grill with whom I can only assume is his new girlfriend. The whole weekend spent trying to come to terms with it, knowing this is getting ridiculous. I need to get over this, over him, move past this but I just can't seem to. The bell rings as we all pack away in a hurry to get out.

"Aria can I see you for a moment please?" I look up stunned. I was not expecting this. What could he possibly have to say to me unless it's to do with my assignment? I walk over and stand before his desk. He watches the door, waiting for the room to be emptied out before he speaks.

"I wanted to talk to you about the other day. When you saw me at the Grill…with Jackie." So that's her name, Jackie.

"I get it. You don't need to-" I begin to say but then he cuts me off, his eyes looking urgent. "Aria it's not what you think. We're-"

"You don't owe me an explanation. Like you said, your just my teacher, nothing more." He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. With the newfound confidence surging through me, I take that as my que to leave and turn toward the exit.

"Aria…" I turn to look at his conflicted face. Deciding to resolve his inner demons for him I say "Goodbye Mr. Fitz." He looks at me stunned, as if hearing the words for the first time as I turn and walk out the room.


	3. Take Care

"_I know you've been hurt by someone else,_

_I can tell by the way you carry yourself,_

_If you let me, here's what I'll do,_

_I'll take care of you,_

_I've loved and I've lost"_

I looked up at Noel as I held my position, leaning forward slightly over the table. I pull back the cue as I take a forceful shot, my gaze never once flickering as I putt in the eight ball.

"Nice." He looks at the pool table and its remainder three balls. His lips widen into a grin. "Impressive. How did you do that?" I smile at him reveling in my moment of victory before I burst my own bubble saying, "I'd be lying if I told you I knew how. It was a one off."

"Guess you're just naturally talented." He leans back against the pool table, watching me as I hold the cue up right by my side, leaning into it a little as I look up at him.

"I wish. I used to totally suck at pool but when we moved to Iceland there was a local bar we used to hangout at. And I guess I got a bit better at it."

"Bad-ass Aria. Check you out hanging out at bars in Iceland. Playing pool. No doubt you thrashed people there too." His hand moves to one of the balls nearest to him as he rolls it around mindlessly.

"Yeah, I was like the pool champion or whatever you call it." He looks up at me with surprise. "Really?"

I try to hold my composure before I smile and laugh. "No."

He springs off the pool table and moves closer to me. I quickly evade his movement as I move around him to put my cue on the pool table, turning to him when I say, "Another round?" He smiles at me weakly, clearly noticing how I avoided him getting too close. "Same again?" I hold up the now two empty glasses as a gesture. He nods and then steps back, clearing my path for me as I head for the bar.

While I wait to be served at the bar I give myself a little pep talk. _What's wrong with you. Stop freaking out every time he gets too close. You said you'd give him a chance. He's a great guy, just relax and have some fun._

Just then, as if it was karma for even having such a thought, Ezra walks in to Dusky's. He stops in his stride when he notices me, surprise written all over his face. "What can I getcha?" The bartender asks. Ezra looks to the floor, only lifting his gaze slightly as he carries on walking further into the establishment. I order quickly, in a hurry to get back to Noel so I can scan the place to see where Ezra is sitting.

"That was fast." I approach Noel, handing him his drink as I look around spotting Ezra. He sits at a table in the back reading but still in full view of us. I sit on the edge of the pool table facing Noel. We talk, well he mostly does the talking I just smile and nod, every so often looking over at Ezra.

"It's cool Aria, you don't have to worry." Noel pulls me out of my gaze.

"Huh?"

"Mr. Fitz. You keep looking over at him."

"Erm, I, it's not-" I try and scramble my brain for a quick excuse.

"We did that guy nod at each other, he knows we're here. Don't worry I don't think we're gonna get in trouble. I don't think he cares." That sounds about right.

"Yeah, I'm just…freaking out a little. Don't wanna get kicked out."

"I don't think Mr. Fitz would do that to us, he's cool. And even if we did get kicked out we could always go some place else." His playful smile revealing more than just a back up plan suggestion. We talk a while longer, Noel showing me impressions of his lacrosse coach. I pay him more attention this time, actually surprised by how funny I find him.

"So pool master, we gonna play some pool or what?" I jump off the pool table putting my drink down on the table in front of us, "I believe it was pool champion."

"Ok, well we'll see if you're still the champion after I thrash you in this game." He puts his drink down, picking up his cue off the pool table.

"Rack em' up." I say meeting his challenge. Noel starts reaching into all the table pockets, taking the balls out ready to be racked up. Something in my peripheral view catches me. I look up scanning around and that's when I see it. When I see her. Jackie. She walks past the bar and around the tables in the back, until she's approaching Ezra's table. Ezra looks up at her surprised and then looks over, with me staring back in wide-eyed shock.

After a few moments Jackie slips off her coat, revealing a sexy fitted black dress, with a slight v-cut giving a sneak peak. She makes a show of turning around to arrange her coat on the back of a chair, hoping Ezra would have caught a glimpse of the slit at the back of her dress, except he's too busy looking over at me to even notice. She takes a seat and begins to converse with him, forcing him to look at her, pay her attention as she babbles on.

"You ready?" Noel asks, having set the game up. I don't even respond, too engrossed watching Ezra and Jackie together. Wanting to see what they're like together, how they interact. Noel notices my distraction as he comes over to see what I'm looking at.

"Woah Mr. Fitz has a girlfriend. And she's actually hot. How'd he get her-"

"I don't know!" I cut him off too defensively. Noel picks up on it and looks at me confused. "I'll be right back," I say as I hand him the cue and bolt for the bathroom.

Once inside the bathroom I head straight for the sink. I turn the tap on, letting the water run as I lean over the sink with both hands on either side. I take a deep breath and begin to think. _Out of all the bars in this town, they decide to come in to Dusky's. As if I haven't had enough to deal with but now I gotta see them together, while I'm supposed to be trying to get over him. How is that gonna happen with him right here. Why couldn't they just leave! They're clearly on a date, otherwise he would have probably left the moment he saw me here. Maybe I should leave? Tell Noel we should move on to some place else… NO! Why should I should I leave? We were here first! If Ezra's gonna move on, then so am I! I'll show him I'm over it, just like he keeps showing me!"_

I splash cool water on my face, cooling me down from my heated thoughts. I can't keep letting my situation with Ezra control my life. It's time to move on. I look up in the mirror checking my make up and hair to make sure everything was still in place. I take once last deep breath and then turn for the door to leave.

"Your back. Are you ok?" Noel's whole body springs to life the moment he sees me, jumping out of his chair.

"Yeah I'm fine. Sorry about before. So I was thinking lets make this game interesting." He smiles intrigued, stepping closer to me. This time I don't move away.

"What did you have in mind?" I stare him down with a devilish smile on my face as I say, "Loser does shots?" He smirks, I've got his full attention now.

"How many shots we talking?" I bite my lip, as I'm silent for a moment. He likes it as he stares at my lips taking another step forward. Again I don't move, I stand my ground not even so much as flinching, as he gets close.

"Tequila. Two shots per game." I say it as a statement rather than a question. He smiles that famous Noel smile and says "Game on."

"I'll go get the shots." I smile seductively as I turn and walk towards the bar. My body pumped with a rush of control and power. I get to the bar, noticing Ezra standing there too, waiting to be served. The moment the bar tender reappears from the back room, he immediately notices me asking for my drinks order. "Two vodka lemonades and four shots of tequila." Ezra looks at me, his face hardening. I pretend not to notice but I can see it from the corner of my eye as I watch the bartender move back and forth behind the bar.

Once paid, I round up the drinks, tangling my fingers trying to hold everything. I slowly move away from the bar, hoping for the best that I don't drop any of these, making a fool out of myself. The bartender asks Ezra for his order. "Whiskey, on the rocks and a white wine." I feel my heart plummet as I remember the day we first met, in that bar. He ordered whiskey and asked if I wanted one too. For some reason ever since then it always felt like our drink, his and mine. Guess it was never really was mine, just like he was never really mine.

Noel notices me walking over at a snails pace but luckily comes to my rescue before an accident occurs. "Need a hand?" He smirks.

"Yeah, that would be nice." I laugh. We struggle a little as Noel tries to carefully untangle some of my fingers around the drinks without spilling them. We laugh at ourselves throughout the struggle. "Got it." He says standing more straight. He looks past me, his smile fading. I follow his gaze, noticing Ezra staring straight at us. Noel gives him a quick smile and Ezra turns away towards the bar to pay for his drinks. Noel then looks at me ushering us back to our table.

I set the drinks down in silence no longer laughing or smiling. He turns to face me as he says, "Don't worry. Mr. Fitz is cool. If he was gonna say or do something he would have by now." I take a deep breath brushing off my uncertainty and pick up my cue.

"Ready to loose?" I say smiling. He picks up his cue, moving toward the pool table and smiles, "Just make sure you got enough salt for yourself." And with that he leans forward and breaks.

Two games in, two tequila shots down and two vodka lemonades after, I was feeling buzzed. We had both won a game each but now that Noel had just putt in the eight ball in the third game, we were no longer on even playing fields.

"I believe that's two shots for you?" He smiles in victory as he watches me walk over to our table to pick up a shot. Trying not to think of the disgusting after taste I knock it back.

"Ergh." I scrunch my face together. He laughs. "One more shot to go."

"It'll be your turn next." I say as I sprinkle some salt on the back of my hand, lick it and then knock back the other shot. I slam the glass down and put the lemon in my mouth quickly. Noel just laughs, "If you say so but something tells me after this round you're not gonna be able to beat me again." He might just be right about that.

My phone starts ringing and I put the lemon down to retrieve it. "Oh crap its my mom. I'll be right back." I quickly make my way to the bathroom, where there's virtually no sound of music from the bar.

"Hey mom, what's up?" I try to keep it casual, hoping I don't sound like I've been drinking.

"Hey honey, just wondering what time you were going to come home?"

"I'm just out with Emily, we got tickets to go see a movie so I'll probably be home late."

"You want me to come pick you up after?"

"No need, it's a late showing. Emily's gonna drop me home straight after."

"Ok, you sure?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. Don't wait up."

"Ok, have fun. Tell Emily I said hi."

"Ok I will. Bye mom." Success! I didn't slur my words or raise any suspicion.

I walk out the bathroom, back to our table. "Hey I got another round of drinks. Everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Told my mom I was out with Emily, she'd probably freak if she knew I was at a bar with you, drinking." He looks at me for a moment with a sweet smile. I return it, not feeling awkward in the slightest. Alcohol having given me this newfound confidence, making me forget how weak and insecure I felt an hour ago. "I'm gonna go get some water. I can still taste the tequila."

"Ok," Noel laughs as he stands and starts to gather all the balls for another round of pool.

I head to the bar feeling slightly dizzy, quickly ordering a glass of ice water. Moments later Ezra appears slightly down the bar. "You sure that's a good idea?" He asks, eyeing me.

"Water? I think it's the best idea I've had all night." I try to stand a little straighter, steadying myself so I don't appear drunkenly imbalanced.

"I meant drinking tequila. And Noel." He says emphasizing Noel's name in an obvious way.

"Well what should I drink? Whiskey? White wine?" I take a sip of the ice water, the cool liquid washing away the after taste of tequila.

"I just think you should be more careful."

"I think you should worry about your own date. And leave me to worry about mine." I snap back.

"So it is a date?" He takes a step closer to me, self consciously looking around to see if anyone's noticed.

"Not that it's any of your business, no." Part of me wondering why I'm still standing here, the other part not wanting to be anywhere else.

"I don't think he sees it that way." He turns his head to face me, instead of looking at the drinks selection behind the bar.

"Well I guess we'll find out by the end of the night." I stare him straight in the eyes. His face hardens as his whole body goes stiff. The bartender approaches him, "Whiskey on the rocks? And a white wine?" I pick my drink up and turn to head back to my table. He answers in time for me to hear "Make that a double whiskey."

By the time I wake up the next day its stupidly early to be considered morning on a weekend! I toss and turn until I finally realise I wasn't going to fall back asleep again any time soon. I open my eyes, thinking I'm still drunk from last night as the room begins to spin. I turn over trying to focus on my alarm clock. 6.37am? Maybe I really am still drunk and can't read properly either?

I think back to last night's events, trying my hardest to remember. I spoke to Erza last night, vaguely remembering the conversation. He wasn't too happy about me drinking and being with Noel but after that the alcohol succumbed me. Jackie was there too, somewhere, with Ezra. I remember flashbacks of Noel and I playing a few more games of pool and then darts. When did we decide to play darts? Who won? After that we stumbled out the bar and into a cab. I remember seeing Ezra's face outside just before we got in the cab, Noel saying, _"there's Mr. Fritz!"_ Was Ezra watching us? Did he follow us out? The last thing I remember was stumbling through the front door, crawling up the stairs and literally collapsing on to my bed. After that, nothing. Everything else from the night is a blank.

I touch my head as I wince in pain from thinking too hard. How much did we drink last night? Why did we drink so much? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea that we made bets involving tequila. Just the thought of the word making me feel sick. No literally sick as I jump out of bed and stumble into the bathroom. By the time I reach the toilet I'm so dizzy, I throw up immediately. Last nights contents emptying out of me.

After throwing up and sitting on the bathroom floor for a while, I finally gather the strength to get up and make my way to my bed slowly. I lie down closing my eyes, feeling as if the room is spinning around. I turn to my side hoping it will help ease the dizziness and just concentrate on trying to sleep it off.

A few hours later of being wide awake with my eyes closed, I open my eyes hearing movement in the house. I decide its time to get up seeing as I can't sleep.

I slowly move out of bed, my hangover setting in, making itself more known than before. I struggle to get out of lasts nights clothes and pull on some pyjamas, so my parents won't question why I'm still dressed in last nights attire and smell like a bar. I pull a robe around myself and slowly head into the bathroom to brush my teeth, and wash my face. I look up in the mirror, the sight of me shocking. Mascara smudged around my red sleep deprived eyes, hair looking like a birds nest, skin looking pale with the only hint of colour being from the dark circles under my eyes. I smooth out my hair and try to rub some of the make up off as best I can before I decide to give up and just go downstairs.

"Morning sweetie." My dad greets me as I come down the stairs. "How was last night?"

"Yeah it was fun." He takes a second look at me. If not alarmed by my appearance, my voice was a dead give away.

"You sound like you might be coming down with something." Concern spread across his face. Yes an alcohol problem maybe? I clear my throat.

"It's just a tickle. I'm sure it will be fine after I eat something." I smile and pass him as I make my way in to the kitchen.

"Oh Aria, we were wondering what you were doing tonight?" I stop and turn to face him. "No plans, why?"

"Oh good. Your mother and I are having a few teachers from Rosewood over tonight for a friendly dinner. We invited your English teacher too, Mr. Fitz. I'll tell your mother your staying for dinner tonight then." My stomach churns at the sound of his words as he walks away.

Ezra's going to be here tonight, in my parents house, for dinner. After I had seen him last night. After we spoke last night. After he had seen me with Noel drinking shots. I need to sit down. I'm beginning to feel dizzy again like I'm going to throw up for the second time.

How am I gonna handle him in my house if I can't even handle being in his classroom? Or let alone anywhere else I see him. And a few other Rosewood teachers are going to be there too.

How am I gonna handle him in my house with my parents, a few Rosewood teachers, Mike and whilst I'm seriously hungover?


	4. Rolling In The Deep

"_There's a fire starting in my heart,_

_Reaching a fever pitch and it's bringing me out the dark,_

_Finally I can see you crystal clear,_

_Go ahead and sell me out and I'll lay your shit bare"_

I stare at myself in the mirror for the one-hundredth time tonight. I straighten my dark blue dress, fidget with my gold and black bracelets and shift a little in my gold studded black heels. I take a deep breath as I look up at my face once more, checking to make sure my make up and the loose waves remain in place. I've come a long way since this morning, making myself look somewhat presentable.

My hangover having subsided slightly throughout the day, helping me to get to this point and now that it's here, I'm a jumble of nerves. One by one as Rosewood High's faculty members entered the house, so did my nerves. I quickly excused myself, making my way to my bedroom, trying to pull myself together before I even begin to fall apart. Ezra still had yet to arrive but when he does, no amount of make up and accessories are going to help disguise my anxiousness or the fact that I'm still hungover, making the situation that much more harder to bare.

After breakfast, once I had learned the full details for tonight's dinner, I had tried so desperately to think of ways to get out of it. But like life's big cruel joke, it turned out everyone had plans. Hanna had plans with Sean, Spencer with her sister and Emily with Mya. I almost even called Noel but then decided against it thinking it might give him the impression that I was keen. Judging by his messages throughout the day, I wasn't the only one feeling the after affects of last night.

I take one last look in the mirror and head downstairs, knowing I can't stay up here all night. The moment my shoe hits the bottom step the door bell rings, almost as if I somehow made it happen. I know it's Ezra, he's the only faculty member yet to arrive.

"Aria would you get that." My mother calls from the living room. Oh crap! Panic surges through me as my mind races through recent events. Noel, under aged drinking, Jackie, private and personal words exchanged. What if he brings Jackie? Would he actually do that, bring her here to my house? Did she see me last night? What if she did and she mentions it to my parents. At least that would explain my morning appearance and sore throat, which my parents ruled out as symptoms of an oncoming cold.

The door bell rings again. I snap out of my thoughts as I take a step towards the door. I take a deep breath, apprehension fueling my nerves as I turn the handle and open the door. Ezra looks up at me in surprise and I stare back, relief momentarily flooding through me when I realise he's on his own.

"Hi, Aria." He says sounding nervous.

"Hi" I whisper back, barely able to manage words.

We stare at each other a moment longer until Byron appears at the door, rescuing us.

"Ezra, welcome. Come in, it's good to see you." My dad opens the door further, shaking Ezra's hand as Ezra steps into the foyer.

"Byron, yeah thanks for having me." He smiles politely but I can see the edginess in his eyes. "Oh, I bought a dinner gift." He gestures the bottle of whiskey towards my dad. I barely manage to look at it, as my stomach churns reminding me of last night.

"A man of great taste. Thank you, we should have you over more often." Ezra laughs, relief flooding his face as they walk into the living room while I follow behind.

Half an hour in to the evening I notice the appetizer plates are looking a little empty. Deciding on a distraction to get myself out of the room, I take the plates and walk into the foyer and head for the kitchen. The kitchen island is filled with snacks and alcoholic beverages, some brought by the faculty members of Rosewood High. I busy myself with filling the plates with snacks, taking my time.

"So you made it home ok, last night?" I turn surprised, watching Ezra as he walks into the kitchen, revealing my secret. "I just came to get a drink." He gestures his empty glass as a way of explanation.

"Help yourself." I say motioning towards the selection of drinks sitting on the counter. He sets his glass down as he reaches for a bottle and stars to pour.

"Want some?" He smirks, as he notices the distaste on my face, watching the liquid spill into the glass. I look away instantly continuing to fill the plates, trying my best to seem unmoved by him.

"So, how come you're not out tonight? Didn't you have plans?" He moves to stands opposite the counter from me. I couldn't visually ignore him even if I tried.

"Uh, no." I fixate my eyes on the task at hand, as I fill the plates trying not to look at him.

"Heavy night?" Like he even needs to ask, he could probably bare witness to last nights events better than I can.

"You were there." I shrug and look up at him.

"Yeah, I was." He stares at me as he lifts his glass taking a sip, not so much as even blinking. We stare at each other for what feels like minutes longer until he breaks the silence.

"So, you and Noel Kahn, is it serious?" I break our gaze as I continue to fill the plates. "It's, not anything." Shaking my head and shrugging, as I release the breath I was absentmindedly holding in.

"I didn't think getting drunk in a bar with the high school lacrosse star was your thing?" He remains impassive.

I look up irritated and answer too quickly, "And what is? Getting drunk with the high school faculty members?" The moment its out I regret it immediately. My words sounded harsher than necessary, making the wonderful memory of how we met seem ugly. I turn away taking a deep breath before I turn back to face him. "How would you know what my thing is Ezra? Like you said, your just my teacher."

He takes a deep breath as he says in defeat, "That seems so be the problem doesn't it." I stare back stunned, unable to move. I open my mouth to say something but stop immediately when Ella walks into the kitchen to get some more wine. I leave her and Ezra to converse as I walk back in to the living room with the plates of snacks, thinking his words over, trying to figure out what that was all about.

A short while later, before dinner is ready to be served, I interrupt Ella's conversation with Ezra and Mrs. Lawrence to let her know I'm going to set the table.

"I'll give you a hand." Ezra says politely. I look at him, stunned by his gesture, responding a little to quickly, "No it's ok. You're a guest, I can manage."

"It's no trouble at all. Besides we can discuss that English assignment question you asked me about." I turn to look at Ella and Mrs. Lawrence. They smile back indifferent to the idea. I turn and lead the way in to the kitchen completely bemused, as Ezra follows behind me. What is he doing? What does he want?

Once inside the kitchen I decide to speak first, breaking the silence. "You don't have to help me, you know. I can manage." I reach inside a cupboard for a stack of plates, counting people on my fingers before I separate the right amount.

"I wanted to help." He takes the plates from me, leaving the sentence in the air, with no way for me to decipher it.

"Why?" I turn watching him approach the dinning table, setting a plate down at each place. He shrugs as he puts the last plate down and then lifts his gaze as he says, "I also wanted to clear the air." I look at him expectantly as he stands there, waiting to hear what he has to say.

"You were right. I don't know what your thing is. I shouldn't have made assumptions." He pauses, stepping away from the dinning table and back to me but stopping at a distance to continue. "I can only make assumptions because I don't know you, Aria but I want to. I shouldn't but I do. Maybe it's because of how we met that I just don't see you as a student, I see you as a person separate from everyone else in my class." He ends his speech there, again leaving me no way to decipher his words.

"What are you telling me?" I try to encourage him to continue.

"Maybe if we met under different circumstance things would have been different. I could take you out, have a real conversation with you that's not about Shakespeare or your English Assignment. If things were different I could get to know you without worrying about the consequences but they're not. You are my student at the end of the day, Aria. And I am your teacher. That's the only relationship we can ever have." I feel a twinge in my heart as he reminds me of the facts. The pain hasn't lessened from the last time we had this conversation but why is he bringing it back up?

"Why are you telling me this?" I narrow my eyes at him, hoping for an honest answer, instead of a cryptic one.

"Because I wanted to explain why I sometimes over step my boundaries by asking you personal questions. Questions, which I have no right to know the answers to. I shouldn't be arguing with you about you getting drunk or spending time with some guy. You don't owe me an explanation. And I shouldn't be explaining to you who Jackie is or why I'm seeing her-"

"Then why do you?" I cut in defensively, annoyed at hearing Jackie's name. He takes a deep breath, emotions conflicting on his face.

"Because… I guess as much as I want to know you, I want you to know me too." There, he finally did it, an honest answer. I should be glad for it but what's the point when nothing more can come from it. I think for a second, calming myself before I choose my words carefully.

"You can't keep playing with my emotions, Ezra." He looks at me surprised as I call him out on it. He looks to the floor, guilty, knowing exactly how he's been affecting me. He speaks softly as he says, "I know. I'm sorry." He lifts his head and I see the sincerity in his eyes, making me want to reach out and touch his face.

"I've been trying to get over you, move past this-"

"I can see that, with Noel Kahn?" He says irritated, interrupting my turn of honesty to state the obvious.

"What's wrong with Noel Kahn?" I ask defensively.

"Well nothing, he just doesn't seem like someone who shares the same interests as you." Now he's making me angry.

"And how would you know? Noel's a really good guy. We like the same movies, he's funny and at least he's honest with me." My voice raises as I list Noel's qualities, pleading his case.

"Aria, I didn't come in here to fight with you. I just wanted to clear the air."

"Well I got it. Air cleared. I don't need you help in here anymore." He opens his mouth to say something but then closes it, thinking against it. By the angered expression on my face, he made the right decision. He walks out the kitchen, back into the living room as I stand by the kitchen counter with cutlery still waiting to be set.

_How dare he! He's the one who decided we couldn't have anything more than a student-teacher relationship. He's the one who pushed me away and ignored me. And when I try to move on he feels the need to acknowledge me, giving me his input on what he thinks._

I look over at the selection of drinks sitting on the counter. Fueled by rage I grab a glass and pour myself a drink. I don't even read the label on the bottle but I know it's a whiskey of some sort. _Screw what he thinks!_ I knock it back, feeling the liquid burn all the way down my throat. My empty stomach burning, protesting after last nights experience. I pour myself another drink. The best way to cure a hangover is to have another shot, I reassure myself as I knock it back. Hearing movement in the foyer, I quickly put the bottle back and set the rest of the table. I pour myself one last large drink and dilute it with Coke before I make my way in to the living room to tell my parents the tables set.

Everyone makes their way into the kitchen to the dinning table to take a seat. Ezra and Mr. Hadley are the last to be seated, too busy conversing about something to realise the last two empty seats are between Mrs. Lawrence and I. Mr. Hadley sits down taking his seat next to Mrs. Lawrence as Ezra hesitates when he realizes the only seat left is next to me. He takes his seat awkwardly as I stare down at my plate. Our fingers brush momentarily as I move my hands from the side of my seat to my lap, making us both apologise in alarm. I reach for my drink and take a hearty swig, hoping for some liquid courage. He eyes my drink intently as I set it back down.

"Is that such a good idea?" He whispers, still staring at my drink.

"Coke?" I whisper back nervously.

"I meant the other concoction? Especially after last night?" His face hardens as he looks at me.

"I don't know what you're talking about. It's just coke." I give him a small smile, knowing full well he's on to me but deciding I don't care what he thinks anymore.

Turning away from Ezra, I look over at Mike next to me, seated at the end of the table, smiling at me knowingly. Inside I quickly panic thinking he's picked up on something.

"Did you have fun with Noel Kahn last night?" He asks amused, while I'm flooded with relief.

"I wasn't with Noel Kahn last night, I was with Emily." I say self consciously looking around incase anyone heard him.

"I heard you guys went to a bar. Taking shots and playing pool." This time his voice is quieter so only I can hear and with the way Ezra shifts in his chair, I can tell he can hear too.

"You shouldn't believe everything you hear." I say irritated.

"I wouldn't, except it came straight from the horses mouth. Noel Kahn told me himself, he seemed pretty hungover but you seem fine?" He says as he nods towards my drink. Crap is it that obvious?

"Well you know what they say about appearances." I say hoping that statement alone is enough to shut Mike up.

"I'll say, considering you had more to drink than him."

"You weren't there Mike!" I scowl as he looks away with a complacent smile. I turn to notice Ezra taking a large sip of his drink. I guess I'm not the only one feeling the tension. When will this dinner end already?

After a very delicious but awkward meal, everyone resides to the living room. I quickly go upstairs to my bedroom, already exhausted with the evening's events. I check my phone noticing missed calls and messages from Hanna and Noel. I call Hanna back, deciding to kill some time.

"Aria! Finally! What took you so long?"

"Hi Han, how are you, I'm fine."

"What have you been doing?"

"I have some teachers' over for dinner remember?"

"Well have you had dinner? Me and Sean were thinking you and Noel should meet us and come get some ice cream?"

"_You and Sean?_" I say doubtfully.

"Well me. But Sean totally agrees." That sounds more like it.

"Han, I don't know…"

"Ah come on. I'm not asking you to go skinny-dipping, its just ice cream! It'll be fun, unless you'd rather stay home with Rosewood High's finest. I'm telling you, it's like detention, in your house."

"Alright fine, I'll go." Anything to shut her up before she persists on! Besides I can't wait to get out of this house and away from the tension between me and Ezra.

"Awesome! I'll call Noel and tell him to pick you up." She hangs up before I even get the chance to change my mind. Great, yet another evening spent filled with Ezra and Noel. I grab my coat and purse and head downstairs. Judging by the missed calls and messages from Noel, he'll be at my house in less than ten minutes.

I go into the living room to find my parents to let them know I'm going out. Ezra watches me as I walk in, no doubt wondering where I'm going. I politely say my goodbyes to all the staff members one by one and thank them for coming round. I approach Ezra last, as he hoovers near the living room entrance.

"Where are you off to?" He asks anxiously.

"Out." I respond bluntly.

"With Noel?" He lowers his voice.

"And Hanna and Sean." I say impassively.

"I thought you didn't have plans tonight?"

"Well I do now."

"Right. Uh, well have fun." I nod my head, giving him a small smile. "Thanks for coming."

"Yeah, sure, no problem. Thanks for having me." I nod once more, knowing this conversation isn't really going anywhere. The air between us is filled with words left unsaid but I know neither of us are willing to break that ice. I smile weakly as I walk past him. He watches after me as I head in to the foyer and through the front door, not once looking back at him.

* * *

Thank you all for your comments, it's very much appreciated. I apologise for the late update, like Aria I was also hungover but I guess that's a good thing since it made me stay home and write! Aria and Ezra will get together in this story, soon! But it wouldn't be an Aria and Ezra story without complications. Still deciding how I'm going to play it out but in the mean time, enjoy! :)


	5. Seven Nation Army

"_I'm gonna fight 'em off,_

_A seven nation army couldn't hold me back,_

_They're gonna rip it off,_

_Taking their time right behind my back,_

_And I'm talkin' to myself at night_

_Because I can't forget,_

_Back and forth through my mind,_

_Behind a cigarette"_

Saturday evening didn't get any better like I had hoped. I walked out the front door leaving Ezra behind, as Noel's car pulled up and I got in. "Wow, you look great!" Noel looks at me with a surprised expression. "Thanks." I respond my voice small, reaching for the seat belt.

"Seriously you don't even look like you were drinking last night." I give him a small smile, wishing I could say the same for him. The miracle of hair and make up working in my favour.

We meet Hanna and Sean who are already seated when we arrive and the rest of the night goes from there. We sit and talk and laugh, while eating ice cream and although I make an attempt at having fun, my mind is still back at the house with Ezra. I wonder what he's doing, if he'll still be there when I return, if I want him to be.

After a couple of hours we leave. Noel drops me home and I purposely make a show of how tired I am, so that I don't have to sit in the car and talk, while he's pulled up outside my house. Or worse, have him try and kiss me.

I yawn as I thank him for dropping me home and inconspicuously try to get out of the car quickly as I say good night and walk in to my drive. I hurry in to my house hoping Ezra might still be there but it seemed all the guests had left, as I hear my parents in the kitchen cleaning up.

After talking to my parents, I head up to my bedroom, exhausted, as I get ready for bed. Too tired to think anymore, I clamber in to bed and fall asleep instantly the moment my head hits the pillow.

The next day I wake fully rested, looking like I have some life back in me. I spend the day contemplating, reevaluating my life.

_As much as I want Ezra and as much as he appears to want me too, it can never happen. There's just too much to loose and I would never want to put him in that position. I hate seeing him with Jackie, just the thought of it alone is enough to push me over the edge but its not like I can do anything about it. I have to move on and if I'm honest, I haven't really given Noel the chance he deserves, with Ezra still stuck in my head. That being said I can't be with Ezra either, so maybe its best I don't try. Maybe it's time I start treating Ezra more like my teacher and less like the object of my affection. And maybe then I might be able to get over it. Ha! Fat chance of that! But I can still try, it's not like I have anything else left to loose…_

The next two weeks go by and for the first time in a long time I feel like lucks on my side. With my new mind set, as hard as it is to see Ezra as my teacher, I've tried treating him as exactly that. I don't want to argue or fight with him anymore and as much as it kills me, he can be happy with Jackie. I know deep down inside I'm in denial but for now ignorance is bliss.

Things between us seem easier, even though in reality they are anything but. We've gone back to resuming our pattern of ignoring each other, like we did in the first two months and I actually begin to convince myself he's moved on, until halfway into the third week he proves me wrong.

I stand next to Emily by her locker as she drops off her history book. "Is that new Em?" I motion towards the bright pinky-red scarf draped over her shoulders.  
"Not really, Mya got it for me a while ago. I wear it all the time now, I love it." It dawns on me that I have been so absorbed in my own life to notice what's been going on in anyone else's. Even when the indication is as bright as Emily's scarf.

"It looks good on you." I smile feeling partially guilty for not having paid enough attention to my friend. "So things are going well with Mya?"

Emily's face lights up, a reaction that could only be caused by Mya. "Really well! She's so funny and sweet and-" She blushes when she sees the grin on my face. "I really like her." She says quickly, turning back to her locker, blushing with shyness.

"That's great Em! I'm really happy for you." I smile at her warmly, as I look at her with admiration.

"How's things with you and Noel?" I open my mouth to answer but stop midway as I see Ezra appear from around the corner. He notices me instantly, his whole demeanor stiffening as his eyes fix on mine.

"Aria?" I turn my gaze to Emily whose looking at me expectantly. "Huh?" I ask too distracted to remember her question.

"There you are." I turn around in alarm as Noel approaches us. Of course this would happen to me, here and now. I turn back to Ezra to see him talking to another student, looking over their notes.

"Hey." I say in unease. I look at him confused.

"I've been looking for you. What are you doing today after school?"

"I was gonna pick up some tickets for a gallery opening. Why?"

"Your gonna wanna cancel that. I've got tickets to go see a band. There playing in this bar called Horizons and it was almost sold out but I managed to get a friend to put a couple tickets aside at the door for me. What d'you say?"

"I say yes!" His eyes twinkle in excitement as I turn to face Emily grinning. I notice Ezra is still with a student, trying his best to divide his attention between them and me, as he focuses on their notes, glancing up at me every so often.

"We'd have to leave straight after school though. It's in Philadelphia. The band are playing early, if we don't leave straight away we'll miss it."

"Yeah sure. I'll meet you here?"

"Can't wait! It's gonna be so awesome." Noel smiles in excitement. He's like a kid on Christmas and I can't help but feel excited too as I look at his expression. I momentarily forget about Ezra, until the bell rings.

We head into English, with Noel leading the way. "Hey Mr. Fitz." Noel says with enthusiasm. Ezra gives him a bleak smile and says, "Please take your seat Mr. Kahn."

I look at Ezra as I walk in. Something in his eyes seems dark, intense, angry even. He watches me intently as I take my seat between Noel and Emily. His whole body looking tense and I think I know why. Oh crap, this can't be good!

The rest of the class shuffle in and settle as Ezra shuts the door to indicate that class is in session.

"I'm curious, we've been reading books in this class that clearly define between right and wrong, good and evil but when do these lines become blurred? What themes can you think of? What reasons? Write down your ideas in silence and we'll discuss." He looks over at me and I know the reason behind his lesson plan.

Noel leans closer to my desk as he whispers, "This bands so awesome, I have all their songs on my iPod."

"Mr. Kahn I said in silence." Ezra looks at Noel with eyes as cold as ice. Noel nods and looks back down at his work. After a few seconds pass he leans over and whispers again.

"Their gonna come on at five and my friend was saying he might be able to get us in the back to meet the band but-"

"Mr. Kahn, you seem to have finished. Why don't you share your ideas with the rest of us?" Ezra stares Noel down, daring him to come up with something witty. Noel looks down at the blank page in his notebook. "I can't."

"And why not?"

"I haven't got any." Noel looks up, vulnerable.

"Because you were too busy talking to Aria, distracting her from her work."

"Yeah." Noel says quietly in defeat but Ezra's not done.

"Well maybe you can write down the concept of silence today after school in detention." How did I not see this coming? I should have stopped Noel from talking, no doubt Ezra would have probably given me detention for it though.

"I can't have detention today, I have to be somewhere after school!" Noel pleads but Ezra's expression doesn't falter.

"Well now you'll be here Mr. Kahn." Ezra says darkly, his expression so enraged Noel doesn't even attempt to plead his case. He looks down at his work and doesn't so much as even look at me throughout the rest of class.

The bell rings after a long awkward session. After Noel had landed himself in detention, no one so much as even dared to make a squeak incase they ended up facing the same sentence. I begin to pack my things away as Noel stands next to my desk. "I guess we can't go and see the band today." He leans against his desk. "It sucks!"

"It's ok, there'll be other bands." I try and reassure him with a hopeful smile, knowing this is partially my fault.

"I'm sorry." He says giving me a halfhearted smile, as he stands and walks out the room. His expression so sad, as if he truly believes this was his entire fault alone. He was so excited before and now he looks so crushed. I feel terrible, knowing I'm partially responsible and angry knowing Ezra did it on purpose. I wait for the classroom to empty before I approach his desk.

"How could you do that to Noel?" I start, voice raised, alarming Ezra. He moves to close the front door before he stands by his desk again.

"Aria, he was talking in my class."

"Like no ones ever talked in your class before? You heard us outside. You knew he wanted to take me to see a band after school. That's why you gave him detention!" I glare at him accusingly, anger emanating off me. "If you're angry at me, you take it up with me. Don't take it out on Noel!" He stands there, frozen for a moment before he speaks.

"Aria, what you do outside my class is not my concern-"

"You could have fooled me!" I jump in again, my sentence imply more than just words.

"I gave Noel detention because he was talking during a task I said had to be done in silence. I did this to exercise discipline so he'll learn. It has nothing to do with you. In case you didn't notice, I am the teacher."

I look at him vivid. I open my mouth to respond with all guns blazing when someone knocks on the door. I stop, before I even begin to get started.

Ezra signals the rude disruption to come in. I take a deep breath trying to expel my anger so I don't raise suspicion before I turn towards the door. It's Mrs. Lawrence.

"Oh I'm sorry, I hope I'm not interrupting anything." She says politely.

"No it's ok. I was just going over something we were discussing in class, with Aria." Ezra smiles at her warmly.

"Oh Aria, could you ask your mother to let us know if she needs us to bring anything on Friday."

"Friday?" I look at her confused, Ella hadn't told me anything about Friday.

"Yes. Mr. Fitz and I are coming round to discuss the latest works of Earl Fishard-"

"You are?" I look at Ezra bemused.

"Yes, didn't your mother tell you?" I turn to Mrs. Lawrence whose mirroring my expression.

"I guess it slipped her mind." Wait so Ezra's coming around again on Friday? How did I not know this? Why didn't he tell me? "When did she plan this?"

"We were discussing it when we were at your house last." That long! He's known about it that long and he didn't think to mention it to me?

Ezra looks at me anxiously. I'm guessing he assumed Ella had told me herself but why had he still not mentioned it to me? All this time? This just adds to my anger.

I smile sweetly at Mrs. Lawrence. "I guess I'll see you Friday then." I turn and look at Ezra before I head towards the door. My smile saying one thing, my eyes another and by the trepidatious expression on his face, he's picked up on it.

Friday. My house. Two days away. I'll see you there Mr. Fitz. It'll be me and my wrath!

* * *

In the next chapter, Aria and Ezra will get together but they're still going to face complications down the road. I kinda want to jump in to all the sneaking around and stolen moments alone but I need to see how I'm going to plan it out. I'm getting a bit bored of writing about Noel but he is convenient when it comes to making Ezra jealous and pushing him to admit how he feels. I don't know if I'll be able to update before the end of the week, I'll try my hardest to make time but apologise in advance if I can't!


	6. She Is

"_It's all up in the air and we stand still to see what comes down,_

_I don't know where it is, I don't know when, but I want you around,_

_When it falls in place with you and I, we go from if to when,_

_Your side and mine are both behind it's indication"_

The rain begins to fall heavily, with the skies looking much darker for it to be late afternoon. I walk as quickly as I can, in deep thought of what I'm going to say when I get a moment alone with Ezra. Like the weather, the two days before have been the calm before the storm and now that the storms here, so is my anger.

The last two days have been spent ignoring Ezra, I haven't even so much as looked at him and he hasn't made an attempt to give me a reason to. Probably wise since the last time we spoke I was beyond vivid. But since then, I've had time to think and I know we need to sort this out once and for all.

The wind whips at me with full force, turning my umbrella inside out and breaking its hinges. I try to salvage what's left of it but it's no use, it's broken and the longer I stand here trying to fix it the worse the weathers going to get.

I secretly curse Alex as I walk home, the rain soaking me to the core. I was meant to meet Spencer after school and she was going to give me a ride home but she had to cancel. Her and Alex had been having problems and since he finally got around to cooling off and calling her back, she went to meet him to sort out their differences.

It had occurred to me that maybe I should call my parents to pick me up, seeing as there is a storm setting over Rosewood but I didn't want to risk them picking me up and having to cancel plans with Ezra and Mrs. Lawrence.

The sky flashes and roars out in rage. I pick up the pace, not wanting to get caught in the eye of the storm. Ten minutes later I reach my house. I take a deep breath before I open the door, fully aware of how tragic I look. The moment I walk in, Ella immediately stands and makes her way over, Ezra following behind her more slowly.

"Aria, honey, why didn't you call? I would have picked you up!" Concern spreading all over her face.

"My phone died." I say quickly, shivering. Ezra looks at me, giving me a small sympathetic smile, as I stand there dripping having brought the weather in to the house with me.

"This weather's so bad, Aria. Next time just stay where you are." Ella looks me over, all the way down to the floor where I've created a puddle. "I'm gonna go get out of these wet clothes." I make my way towards the staircases, running up the stairs as fast as I can before I make a stream.

Once in my room I take a deep, calming breath. I made it home and now I have to do damage control. I grab a towel from the bathroom as I try to dry myself off. I peel my clothes off, the rain having made them stick to my skin, before I toss them to the floor. The house is really warm, heating my skin up immediately.

"Aria." My dad calls from downstairs. I quickly throw on a pair of black jeans and a loose white sleeveless top before I head downstairs, towel in hand.

I reach the bottom of the stairs, my dad and Ezra standing there, looking worried. "Have you spoken to Mike?" My dad asks, concern written all over his face.

"No, why?" I look at the floor by the front door, the water having disappeared as my mother reappears from the kitchen, no doubt having mopped it up.

"What's going on?" She looks at Byron, hesitant.

"I just got a call from Mike. He said the cars broken down and he's stuck on the bridge, near the Lake house. That's all I got before his phone cut out."

"Lake house?" Ella looks at me confused.

"It's this lacrosse thing. They're all going there before a game, like a pre-victory party." We turn our attention back to Byron.

"If he's stuck on the bridge, we can't leave him there in this weather!" Ella panics and moves around us to grab her coat and purse.

"I'm going with you." Byron states more than inquires. I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes out. I look at Ezra, who's looking back at me, mirroring my expression. If they're going out, does that mean Ezra has to leave?

"Mom are you sure it's a good idea to go out there, the storms gonna get worse?" I hear the panic in my voice.

"I know honey but your brothers out there and he's stuck on a bridge, we can't just leave him." Byron reappears dressed for the weather, with a flashlight in hand.

"Aria, keep Ezra company till we get back. Ezra we're really sorry about this, we shouldn't be long." Ella wraps up before she turns to the front door.

"It's ok, don't worry, I understand. I hope Mike's ok." Ezra finally speaks.

"Let us know if Mike calls." My dad smiles at me and Ezra before he walks out the front door.

"Be careful!" I call out into the rain before I shut the door.

I take a deep, uneasy breath, as I turn to face Ezra. My worry over Mike and my parents seems to have subsided my angry resolve.

"I'm sure they'll be fine." Ezra says reassuring me. I look up at him, he's wearing his white shirt, black tie and black pants. The same thing he wore to school today, except now, here in my house, it looks somehow different.

"Where's Mrs. Lawrence?"

"She had to cancel. Her car wouldn't start in the storm, she couldn't make it." So it's just me and Ezra, alone, in my house, with no surprise interruptions from anyone for the next hour or so.

"I'm kind of hungry. Do you want something to eat?" I head in to the kitchen, he follows behind me.

"Uh, sure." I open the fridge and scan the contents until I find something edible.

"Left over pasta ok?" I gesture the container. "Yeah, that sounds great."

While I wait for the pasta to heat up, I walk around the kitchen gathering plates and forks and a couple of glasses. Ezra watches me anxiously, as he stands by the breakfast island. The air between us is heavy, filled with tension and words unspoken.

"This is awkward isn't it?" He speaks first.

"I guess." I shrug as I pour some juice and hand him a glass. Our fingers touch briefly and I look up at him, gazing in to his eyes before I quickly look away. We're silent for another moment but I know what ever I just felt, he felt it too.

"How was you day?" He tries to indulge in small conversation but after our moment before, I'm just not interested.

"We need to talk." I put the bottle of drink down and slide it to the side before I look up at him serious.

"I know." He puts his glass down and contemplates for a moment before he meets my gaze. I take a deep breath, I know I'm gonna have to go first since I brought it up.

"This isn't working. You said we couldn't be anything more than teacher and student but this just isn't working. We're going backwards if anything."

"I know." He looks down for a moment before he meets my gaze again, waiting for me to continue. I take a deep breath before I launch in to all my carefully thought out words. Here goes nothing…

"Ezra when we first met it felt so right. We talked and had this incredible connection and it was like two strangers in a bar, just two regular people, not a teacher and a student. And then I found out you were my teacher and it still didn't feel wrong. I knew that it was over and as much as I didn't want it to be, I would never do anything to get you in trouble." I pause for a moment as I take the heated pasta out but leave it on the side as I turn back to him to continue. "You were the one that said to me nothing could happen between us. You were the one that told me you are my teacher, nothing more. And I have tried to be just your student but you make it so incredibly hard. I hate pretending I don't have feelings for you, I can't act like I don't know you and even when I have tried to move on, you seem to hate it when I'm just doing what you asked." I look at him expectantly for an explanation, now it's your turn.

"Aria…" He pauses in deep contemplation before he starts. "When I found out you were my student I thought we could just brush this away, move past it. I tried to stay away from you, I really did but every time I see you, I'm reminded of that girl I met that first time in that bar. And I can't get that girl out of my head." He looks down for a moment, considering his words before he speaks again. "I figured you'd be here after school. I didn't agree to come here to discuss Earl Fishard's latest work because I'm a fan. I've been trying to read all his work in the last three weeks, just so I'll have an excuse to come here and see you. A book club meeting isn't really my idea of how to spend a Friday night."

So he came here for me? I stand there unable to move, just staring at him, collecting my thoughts.

"Ezra, you can't keep telling me things like this and then pushing me away. It's not fair."

"I know." He whispers. He gazes at me with sincerity before he speaks again. "I know it's not fair and I know I shouldn't even be telling you this but I can't hide my feelings from you, no matter how hard I try. I hated seeing you with Noel and you were right I did give him detention on purpose. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I was just so angry, mostly with myself because I couldn't give you what he could. I can't take you to a bar, Aria or to a restaurant or take you out to buy you ice cream. All we can do is hide, what kind of relationship would that be?"

"And lying to me? Hiding your feelings? Pushing me away? What kind of relationship is that?" I try to keep my temper in check. We've come so far and I don't want it to end in a fight.

"Your right. Your always right it seems." He frowns and I can tell it's more at himself than me.

"Ezra, as much you pretend like there isn't, there is something going on between us. And the more we fight it, the stronger it gets. You don't get to decide how this plays out. You already tried that and look where it got us."

"Aria, when I look at you, all I can think is how I want to be with you. I think of you every second that passes and I don't care if its wrong. But it is wrong. If anyone found out… The consequences are too high. And I just don't care." His face conflicts with emotions as he contradicts himself.

"So what are you saying? You want to be with me but it's too dangerous?"

"It _is_ dangerous. But I just don't care. I don't know!" I move around the counter so that I'm standing in front of him.

"Ezra… We tried to stay away from each other. We tried to move on, if anything it brought us closer together. We tried it your way and it just didn't work." I pause as I look up in to his eyes. "Maybe we should stop trying…" I reach out and touch his face. My thumb caressing his cheek as he closes his eyes for a moment and leans his head into my hand. When he opens his eyes I see him, like I've never seen him before. His eyes shine with honesty and desire. So vulnerable and yet so powerful and I'm completely lost in them.

He wraps his arm around my waist as his other hand moves to my face. He caresses my face as he pulls me closer and slowly leans down to kiss me. His lips touch mine, moving gently at first and then he deepens the kiss, moving more desperately as he lets the walls he's put up crumble, leaving him no place to hide. It's almost as if we're back at that bar, the first day we met, just some guy and just some girl. Two strangers kissing, except this time it's much more intimate and intense.

After what feels like the longest time, we both reluctantly pull away. Still holding my face with his arm wrapped firmly around me, he looks into my eyes and says, "Aria, I don't know how this is supposed to work."

"Neither do I." I whisper.

"These are the only moments we can have."

"These are the only moments I want." I look at his lips, aching to kiss them again. He pulls his body back, forcing me to look at him, take him seriously.

"You say that now but you'll want more. You'll get sick of the hiding and sneaking around." I look at him with the sincerest of expressions as my thumb begins to caress his cheek. "Ezra you're all I want. I don't care if we have to hide or sneak around. It's worth every second." His face conflicts with emotion.

"Are we crazy? This is a big risk we're taking." I nod my head thinking, _please don't doubt this, us_, as I silently pray.

"Trust me. Don't think about it. Just be here with me." And with that he kisses me again.

Ten minutes later we stop, to come up for some air. I look at the time wondering where my parents are, it's been almost an hour. I grab the phone and dial their number, while Ezra starts dishing out pasta on both our plates.

"Hey honey, has your brother called?" Ella sounds anxious.

"No. Haven't you got to him yet?"

"No, we're stuck in a traffic line of cars. I think a tree got hit by lightning, so the roads blocked while they try and clear it. We can't even turn around. Are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. Me and Ezra are just gonna have something to eat. Is Mike's phone still not working?"

"It was. We got through to him but the service-"

"Hello? Mom?" The phone goes dead as all the lights in the house turn out. It takes me a second to realise it's a power cut before I actually think to put the phone down, only problem is I don't know where. I can't see a thing.

"I guess the storms knocked out all the power." Ezra says, I can hear him but I can't see him. "Aria?"

"I'm here but I can't see you." I hear movement and shuffling, like someone trying to find their way around. It's silent for a moment until I feel something touch my side, making me jump. Ezra wraps his arms around me, kissing my hair. I relax from my mini heart attack as my eyes begin to adjust in the dark and I can vaguely make out the outline of his arms and face. His hand slides from the back of my head, around to my face, where he circles his thumb against my cheek. I look up at him, unable to see much but I feel him lean down as his lips find mine in the dark. We kiss for a moment until we hear the thunder growl in the sky.

"Do you have a flashlight or candles?"

"Yeah, there should be a flashlight in here somewhere." As the sky flashes with lightning, it provides me some quick light to see where we are. I make my way over to a draw but come up short when I realise my dad has taken the flashlight with him. Knowing there's a lighter in here, I rummage around the draw until I find it. I light it to make sure it's still working and to provide some light as I walk over to another draw to find the dinner candles we sometimes use. I light one and give it to Ezra.

"These candles are too thin, they won't last. I have bigger ones in my room." I light my candle and carefully make my way towards the staircase. Ezra follows behind me as I carefully climb the stairs. The situation seeming tense with the absence of light.

Once inside my room I gather more candles, while Ezra looks around.

"So this is your room?" I momentarily remember my wet clothes from before, lying on the floor behind him. I quickly run to the back of him, kicking them out the way inconspicuously, as I grab a candle off the top of the chest of draws beside me.

"Yep." I say a little flushed.

"It's nice. It seems to suit you." My phone starts to ring and I search for my bag on the floor before I miss it.

"Hello?"

"Aria, what happened? Are you ok? I tried calling the house but the lines dead?" Ella sounds so worried.

"Yeah it's just a power cut. I'm fine don't worry. I'm just getting some candles."

"Oh ok. That's good." She sounds relieved. "We're still stuck but Mike's fine. We'll call you if we have any news. Tell Ezra we're really sorry."

"Ok I will. Be careful. Bye mom." I hang up putting the phone in my back pocket. "My mom's really sorry."

"I thought your phone was dead?" Ezra asks as I hand him a few candles.

"I lied." I pick up the remaining candles. He looks at me confused. "I uh, didn't want them to pick me up incase that meant you'd have to leave." He looks at me surprised. "You came home soaking."

"Yeah, well, I didn't account the fact that my umbrella would break. I didn't think that far ahead." I give him a small smile as I move past him. We head downstairs in to the living room as we place the candles around to give the room as much light as possible. Once satisfied we collapse on the sofa, with his arms wrapped around me, as the back of my body leans into him.

"You know we're gonna have to be really careful if we do this? We can't let anyone find out about us."

"I know."

"I know I'm asking a lot from you, Aria. We'll never be like a normal couple. I understand if you want to cut your losses now." I sit up and turn to face him. I shake my head. "I'm not going anywhere. This is where I want to be. With you." I lean forward and place a gentle kiss on his lips. I pull back and he smiles at me. "Ok."

It takes a moment to hit me but I suddenly remember Noel and Jackie. "What about Jackie?" My voice stiff at the mention of her name.

"There's nothing between me and Jackie anymore." I question him with my gaze. "Well there was but not anymore. We dated in college on and off but we broke up. And now we're just friends. She's a teaching assistant at Hollis so I see her around every now and then."

"Just friends? She likes you Ezra." I state the obvious, remembering Jackie's attempt at getting his attention with he fitted black dress at Dusky's.

"Well, I don't care." He stares at me warmly, reassuringly, chasing away all my jealousy. "What about Noel?"

"What about Noel?" I roll my eyes. "I think it ended before it even began. Noel's a great guy but I just don't like him like that. If anything he's a really good friend."

"I heard Hanna saying you had a crush on him in middle school?" He reaches for my hand as he plays with my fingers.

"I was young, that was middle school."

We sit like this for a while longer, just talking and I cherish every second of it. It's all I've wanted since I met him, to just be with him.

Later we head into the kitchen with the some candles, to look for something to eat. We throw away the pasta and make a sandwich instead. We finish eating in time as I hear a car pull up in the driveway. I head to the front door but Ezra stops me in my tracks, pulling me back to him. He kisses me quickly and then releases me.

"What was that for?" Not that I'm complaining.

"One's for goodbye and the other one's for good night." I smile at him and then turn and head to the door grinning, when I hear the car doors slam.

"Hey, your back!" I say a little too excited as my parents and Mike walk through the door.

"Yeah, mom and dad came and got me but the car couldn't be fixed in the rain so it had to be taken to a garage." Mike moves past me and into the kitchen. "Hey Mr. Fitz."

"Hey Mike, I'm glad you're ok."

"Thanks." Mike grabs a drink from the fridge, not that it's cold anymore.

"Ezra, I am so sorry! I didn't think we'd get stuck in traffic." Ella walks in to the kitchen towards Ezra.

"It's fine, at least you guys are ok."

"Thank you for staying here with Aria, especially with the power cut."

"It's not a problem." He smiles at her and then looks at me, with a hint of a secret in his eyes. "I should probably get going now. I'm glad you're are all ok."

"It's still raining outside and the powers still out. Are you sure?" Byron asks him concerned.

"Yeah I'll be fine. My place isn't far from here and the rains not as bad as before." It occurs to me that if it was still really bad outside, my parents would not let Ezra leave. Would that mean he'd be here all night? I wouldn't protest to that idea.

"Ok. We're really sorry again, Ezra but thanks for being here. We have to do this again sometime, properly." Byron shakes his hand and walks him to the door.

"Sure thing." He turns and grins at me before he says his goodbyes and walks out the door.

About twenty minutes later after talking to my parents, I head upstairs to my room. The powers still out so I bring a couple candles with me. Once I put the candles down, I quickly take my phone and call Ezra.

"Hey," I can hear the smile in his voice.

"Hey, did you get home ok?"

"Yeah, I did thanks. I wish I didn't have to leave though."

"Me too. I'm really glad you were here tonight."

"So am I. Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?"

"Erm, no plans so far, except I might be seeing Spencer in the day but I'm not sure now."

"Can I see you?"

"Sure, where?"

"My place? I'll cook you dinner?"

"What time?"

"Seven?"

"Seven's perfect." I try to hold in my excitement.

"Great. I'll see you then."

"Ok good night."

"Good night, Aria." And with the biggest grin on my face I hang up and get ready for bed. Seven tomorrow could not come any sooner!

* * *

Catch you guys after Sunday! ;)


	7. Pretty Eyes

"_Pretty eyes staring back at me so blue and wide,_

_The colours of the summer sky,_

_The colours of the world,_

_If love is blind, why do I see you so clearly now,_

_Perfect vision of our love somehow,_

_You take over my mind"_

I stand outside Ezra's apartment door, nerves hitting sky high. All day I have been waiting for it to be seven o'clock, with excitement and anticipation just so I could be here. I straighten my outfit, a cream coloured dress with a brown belt and brown ankle boots, all carefully put together with my black leather jacket, to make it look like I'm not trying so hard. I glance at my watch quickly to make sure I'm not too early and take a deep breath before I knock. Ezra answers the door immediately as if he's been waiting for me.

"Hi." He says, his blue eyes shinning with excitement. He looks younger in his blue jeans and dark blue t-shirt, reminding me of the first day we met.

"Hi." I say sounding nervous as I stand there waiting for him to invite me in.

"Oh right! Come in!" He ushers me in and I begin to relax a little. His apartment is small but cozy. There's a sofa and table in the center of the room, with the kitchen and bedroom off to the right, and a desk at the far side of the room. There are books and arts assorted around the room, giving his home a retro yet modern feel and as I turn to face him I see how well he fits in this apartment, how well it suits him.

"What do you think?" He notices me looking around intently.

"Yeah, I like it. It's very you." We smile at each other before Ezra remembers the food he's left unattended.

"Tortellini ok? I figured since we didn't actually get to have pasta yesterday, I could make it. That and it's one of three things I actually know how to cook." I laugh and smile at him, thinking it's sweet.

"Yeah, that sounds great." Too busy being happy just to be here and not really caring what we eat. "Can I help?"

"Uh, well dinner's almost ready but if you like you can grab some plates and forks and glasses." I walk over to the kitchen area, opening cupboards in search for the items we need. After opening a few wrong cupboards, Ezra takes pity on me and decides to help me out. Not knowing where we're going to eat, I take some of the items and place them on the table in front of the sofa. He dishes out pasta on to our plates and brings them over as he takes his place on the sofa next to me. We sit on opposite ends of the sofa as we face each other and begin to eat.

"This is good." I say as I make a start on devouring the contents on my plate. "For one of three things, you sure can cook. I wonder what the other two are like?"

"Well you can find out." He smiles suggestively and his words immediately cause me to smile with the hope of a next time.

"Did you learn how to cook in college?"

"Some things. I mostly cooked frozen foods or got take out. There was this sweet old lady we knew who lived near campus and one night my room mate Hardy got lost near her house and managed to find her dog. After that, whenever she would see us she'd insist on giving us some food."

"That's sweet."

"Yeah, Hardy loved it but I felt a little bad, because that night Hardy was drunk and he was the one who opened the fence and let the dog out. He thought he was setting it free. When the woman found him, she thought he was returning the dog to her and had been grateful ever since." We both start to laugh as Ezra shakes his head, looking back fondly on his memories. "I'm telling you, if it wasn't for that night, me and Hardy probably would have never eaten real food the whole time we were in college. I'm serious, Mrs. Millen saved our lives!"

We laugh for a moment longer before he asks, "What about you? Any special dishes aside from sandwiches?"

"Uh, yeah actually. I'll have you know I can make a mean mac and cheese." He looks at me amused.

"You'll have to show me this mean mac and cheese sometime. Hopefully we won't let it go cold like yesterdays pasta." A smile plays on his lips and I know he's referring to our talk and long moment of passion.

"Yeah," was all I could manage as I smile shyly at him.

We sit and talk for a while longer, learning things about each other that we never would have learnt inside his classroom. The atmosphere around us begins to relax as we laugh and exchange stories, growing more comfortable in each other's presence. After we've eaten and cleaned up, Ezra and I collapse on to the sofa in each other's arms.

"Where did you tell your parents you were tonight?" He begins to stroke my hair casually.

"I said I was at Spencer's."

"Didn't you see her in the day?"

"No, she had to cancel, so I just told my parents we moved our plans to the evening."

I feel his body stiffen behind me as he says, "What if your parents find out your not with her?"

"They won't. Spencer's out with Alex tonight and her mom's not exactly fond of him for some reason, so she told her she was out with me. Wherever her and Alex go it'll be low key."

I turn to face him, his body still tense. "What's wrong?"

"I've got you lying to your parents now." He frowns, dropping his gaze.

"Ezra, this isn't the first time I've lied to my parents and you didn't make me do anything. I did it because I wanted to, for us."

"I know but you shouldn't have to lie to them. If I was a guy your own age and not your teacher, you wouldn't have to hide your Saturday night plans or tell them you were out with Spencer." I'm silent as I wrack my mind for something to say, someway to explain to him that it's not as big a deal as he thinks.

"I still have to hide my Saturday night plans even with guys my own age. That night you saw me at Dusky's with Noel, my parents thought I was going to go see a movie with Emily." He takes a deep sigh in defeat.

"It's just risky that's all." He looks into my eyes with a serious expression as his body relaxes a little. I reach my hand out to his face as I sweep his hair to the side. His eyes soften as he looks at me with intent.

"It'll be ok. It's not going to be easy at first but it will be ok." I lean forward as I seal my words with a gentle kiss. I pull back as I gaze in to his eyes. He raises his hand to my face and pulls me forward to meet his lips again. He kisses me more deeply and I feel his need for me through his lips. We part for a moment as he leans his head against mine.

"Aria, this is crazy." He breathes. "You make me forget everything." He pulls me closer in to his arms as he kisses me again. Moments later we pull back from one another as we come up for air. We shift, as we get comfortable in each others arms.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" I whisper as he slowly strokes my hair.

"You told me you had just got back from Europe and how you think you'd like to teach. How ironic." I sense his smile behind his words. My hands begin to caress his arm that is wrapped around me.

"What did you think would happen? Did you think there would be an 'us'? I mean before you found out you were my teacher."

"I was hopeful. When I first met you I was blown away. I thought you were this incredible, passionate girl, who shared her love for writing as much as I did. I didn't know what would happen but I knew I wanted to know more about you." I smile for a moment before it fades, choosing my next words carefully.

"What about after, when you found out you were my teacher?" I hold my breath, bracing myself for his response.

"Well, I was shocked. I couldn't believe you were the same girl I had met in that bar. You seemed so much older. After the initial shock, common sense kicked in and I knew I had to stay away from you. I thought it would be easier for both of us if we didn't get involved but staying away from you proved to be more difficult than I thought." He takes a deep breath, as if having mentally released something. "What about you?" I turn my head and look up into his eyes.

"My feelings didn't change. They were the same, before and after I found out you were my teacher. If anything they got stronger." He smiles down at me, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead. He reaches for the remote sitting on the coffee table and turns the tv on.

We sit for what feels like hours, wrapped in each others arms, just talking while some movie plays in the background, every now and then stealing a kiss or two. After a while Ezra gets up and walks into the kitchen to get some ice cream. I look at the time realising it's nine-thirty and grab my bag in search for my phone to check if I have any messages. I quickly go through messages absentmindedly thinking I'll reply later, until I see Spencer's message.

**S.O.S.**

It's our distress call, our private message between Spencer, Emily, Hanna and I. It means one of us is in trouble or really needs the other. Either way when the message appears, we go.

My mind begins to race through assumptions of what it could be about. Have her parents found out she's with Alex and not me? Did they tell my parents? If so, not only am I in trouble but I also need to come up with an excuse of where I could have been all this time! I call Spencer quickly, mentally panicking.

"Aria?" Spencer sounds odd, like she's suddenly caught a cold.

"Spence, everything ok?" I hear her jagged breathing.

"Alex and I broke up." That's all she manages to say before I hear her breathing become more erratic.

"What? Why?"

"He says we're too different and..." She cuts herself off.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in the car. I'm going to head home." Oh crap! If she gets home without me, our story's going to be blown!

"Ok, I'll leave now and meet you there." I stand, picking up my bag.

"Where are you? Do you need a ride?"

"No it's ok. I'm err, at the library, I'll be there soon."

"Ok, Emily and Hanna are on their way too."

"Ok, I'll see you soon." I hang up in a hurry, not caring if I sounded rude. I grab my jacket and put it on forcefully. Ezra returns with two bowls of ice cream, stopping dead in his tracks when he realises I'm leaving.

"I'm really sorry, I've gotta go." He looks at me anxiously, worry written all over his face.

"Why what's happened?"

"It's Spencer, her and Alex broke up. We've gotta go see her, make sure she's ok."

"Oh, do you have to go? Can't the others see if she's ok?" I smile at him warmly, pleased he wants me to stay.

"I need to be there for her. Besides if I don't leave, her parents might get suspicious if she comes home without me." Realisation crosses his face of what could follow after that.

"Right! Of course!" I pick my bag up and he quickly turns towards the kitchen counter to put the bowls down.

"I'm really sorry. I'll call you." I hastily walk over towards him as I kiss him on the lips and quickly pull away, as I dash toward the front door.

"Yeah." Was the last thing I hear him say as I run out the apartment and down the hallway.

I angrily curse Alex as I make my way towards my car, parked out back so no one sees. I was having such a good night and for the first time in a long time, I felt so content just being there with Ezra.

I pull up outside Spencer's house instead of in her driveway, hoping her parents won't notice. I quickly but quietly get out my car and call Spencer to get her to let me in, without her parents seeing. Once inside we make our way up to her bedroom, Emily and Hanna already there, waiting. We all settle in, as Spencer begins to explain what happened.

"That is such crap! Couples fight all the time, doesn't mean they break up." Hanna looks at us annoyed.

"It's because we clash too much, Han. He thinks we're too different and that eventually we'll clash so much, we won't be able resolve it."

"Oh c'mon, just because he doesn't get his way all the time!"

"Maybe he's just angry right now. Maybe when he calms down, he'll see things differently?" Emily, sweet as ever, hopefully suggests.

"Spence I'm telling you, you're better off without him!" Hanna's pretty riled up, ignoring Emily's kind words.

"Do you think you're gonna speak to him again about this?" I ask, looking at Spencer directly.

"I don't know. It seemed pretty final to me." She looks down at her hands sadly.

"Well did he say anything else? Like he'd call you later or he needs to think?"

"He said maybe we're better off as friends."

I hear my phone beep, distracting me from the conversation. I pull it out and see it's a message from Ezra.

**I wish you didn't have to leave. Is everything ok?**

I try to hide my smile as I type a response.

**Me too. Yeah everything's fine, we're just at Spencer's doing damage control. What are you doing?**

I quickly put my phone on silent, before the girls start noticing my phone being flooded with messages and ask who it's from.

**Eating ice cream, while thinking of you. I might even have to eat your share!**

I begin to laugh and immediately start coughing, trying to cover it up as everyone turns to look at me. I wave it off like I'm fine and once the attention is back on Spencer, I reply.

**Save some for me! I wish I was there having ice cream with you, looking in to your eyes.**

I decide to put my phone away before I really begin to blow my cover. The girls and I talk for a while longer, before we decide to spend the night at Spencer's.

"I'm gonna go call my parents and let them know I'm staying here tonight." I exit the room and walk down the hall. Spencer's parents are downstairs somewhere, so the rest of the floor is empty except Spencer's room. I call my parents quickly to let them know I'm staying here tonight, before I open the unread message from Ezra.

**Do you think you could come by after?**

I smile as I raise the phone to my ear, calling him.

"Hey." He sounds happy.

"Hey, sorry. I was with the girls."

"That's ok. How's Spencer?"

"Well, she's had better days."

"Yeah, I can imagine. Are you guys going to be long? Do you think you could stop by after?"

"I can't, we're gonna stay here tonight. Sort of like a sleep over, get her mind off things."

"Oh, right. I see."

"I'd rather be with you, though." I can tell he's smiling. "Did you eat my half of the ice cream?" He laughs.

"No, I left it here for you, for next time."

"An incentive to get me to come back. Who says there's going to be a next time?"

"I definitely think there should be a next time. That is, if of course my cooking hasn't scared you away." I don't think anything could possibly scare me away.

"No, it hasn't." I hear Spencer's bedroom door open. "I've gotta go. I'll call you later." I quickly hang up.

"Spence do you have any ice cream?" Hanna says as she stands in the doorway.

"Yeah there should be some."

"Cool, can't have a sleepover without ice cream." Emily and Spencer reach the doorway, looking into the hall for me. Once they realise I'm off the phone, they make their way down the hallway towards the stairs. I follow after them but stop abruptly when I feel my phone vibrate. I quickly look at the flashing screen and open the message from Ezra.

**Sweet dreams, Aria.**

I smile as I quickly type a similar response and then put my phone away as I hurry down the stairs, trying to hide my elated smile.


	8. On The Way Down

"_Sick and tired of this world,_

_There's no more air,_

_Trippin' over myself,_

_Goin' nowhere,_

_Waiting,_

_Suffocating,_

_No direction,_

_And I took a dive"_

The week at school seemed to be dragging longer than I had expected. Usually it's over and done with before it even begins but this week in particular had been exceptionally long. This didn't bothered me so much since I knew Ezra was around but apart from the odd 'hello' and smile in the corridor, I hadn't really been able to get a moment alone with him. Each attempt on my part had failed inconveniently, either accompanied by Hanna, Spencer or Emily and each attempt on his part had failed, due to an interruption by another student or teacher. It had only been three days but it felt like three weeks since we last had a moment alone.

I walk absentmindedly down the empty corridor towards my locker. The majority of the students have gone to class and the odd few, including myself, have a free period. I open my locker looking for a book that might help me pass the time before my next class. My phone beeps louder than usual in the silent corridor, with a message. I fish through my bag to retrieve it, my heart leaping when I see it's from Ezra.

**Meet me in the auditorium room.**

I self-consciously look around even though the corridors empty. Without a second thought I close my locker and begin to make my way towards the room instructed. As I walk I become more aware of my surroundings, looking around to see if anyone has noticed me and making a point to seem inconspicuous, incase anyone has. The closer I get to the auditorium the quieter it gets. The silence is filled with the only sound coming from my heels, clacking against the floor. I glance around a few more times before I slip through the auditorium doors.

The room is dark, clearly not in use at the moment. I walk down the path, straining my eyes, looking around for Ezra. I walk up the steps leading on to the stage and decide to head in to the back. Ezra sits there waiting for me, springing to life when he sees me.

"Hey," His eyes light up as he stands.

"Hey," I say pleased to see him but looking a little puzzled. We stare at each other for a moment too long before I break the gaze, curiosity eating away at me. "What are we doing here?"

"I thought we could have an early picnic-lunch."

"In the back of the auditorium room?" I look around and notice a small assortment of snacks laid out on a blanket, with a candle in the middle. No doubt he borrowed these things from the props room.

"It's not much, the canteen didn't have much to choose from but I got a few things I thought you might like." He looks at me shyly and I can't help but light up at all the thought and effort he has put in to this.

"No I love it!" Was all I needed to say, causing him to relax. I walk over to him and kiss him gently. "Thank you." I look up into his eyes with admiration.

"You welcome." He wraps his arms around me, holding me close. He leans down to kiss me, his hand cupping my face as we pour all our feelings in to this kiss, this kiss that we had been deprived of, for what felt like so many days. Ezra pulls away too soon, looking at his watch as he catches his breath.

"We haven't got long together." He says frowning, leading me towards the blanket as we take our seats.

"When did you plan this?" He hands me a bottled drink of some sort.

"I didn't. I've been trying to get you alone all week. I overheard you telling Emily you had a free next and when I heard Mr. Barkley saying he had to take Mrs. Hugh's drama class because she was out with the flu, I knew he wouldn't be using the auditorium room, not for the sake of his reputation." We both begin to laugh a little. "I would have suggested my classroom but I have class right now and anywhere else we'd probably get interrupted."

"That seems to be happening a lot this week." I scowl at myself silently regretting my words, hoping he won't see it as a sign for another reason why we shouldn't be together. I begin to feel awkward, dreading his reply but he surprises me when he says, "Well we're here now." He smiles at me, as he raises a container of mixed fruits and offers it to me. "Lunch?" I grin widely as I take the container from him.

I take a few bites of fruit, relishing the taste more than ever.

"How did you manage to get away?" I ask, wondering how he was able to disappear for an hour without anyone noticing.

"I said I had a personal matter to attend to. Some other teacher is covering my class right now." A smile begins to creep on my face as I realise just how much effort he really has gone to. "I just really wanted to see you." He smiles at me sweetly before he looks down at the container in his hands.

"Thanks for thinking of this. What with school, the interruptions, the girls and Spencer's break up, I was beginning to think it would be a while before I got a moment alone with you again." I look up at him appreciatively, grateful for his presence.

"Your welcome." He smiles at me before something comes to mind. "Oh, how is Spencer?"

"Not so good. She's trying to put on a brave face but we all know it's just a mask. It's all just a little sensitive to talk about at the moment."

"Is there any chance of them getting back together?"

"Well she's pretty determined it's over. She's really cut up about it."

"I see. Well I know it may seem like the end of the world at your age but she's still young." I put my fork down, caught by his words.

"What does that mean? At my age? Since when does my age have anything to do with it?" His eyes widen at the realization of what he just implied.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Then how did you mean it?" I look at him pointedly.

"I meant when you're younger you see things more permanent, more infinite but the thing is you still have a lot of growing up to do. There's still more to learn from life."

"So you're basically saying you think I need to grow up?"

"No that's not what I said-"

"It's what you meant. If you think I need to grow up then why are you with me?" He takes a deep breath as I stare him down with an angered expression.

"Aria that's not what I meant. I don't think you need to grow up, actually I think your quite mature for your age, which is one of the reasons why I'm with you. What I meant was when you break up with someone it feels like the end of the world but as time passes you'll begin to see things more clearly and understand why it didn't work. Spencer may think she'll never get over it but in time she will."

"Just it'll take a little longer since she's my age." He puts his fork down, sighing in frustration before he looks back up at me.

"When I was six there was this girl in my class called Rebecca and for the longest time I was convinced I loved her. I was six, so the longest time was probably a week. One day I gave her a coloured in heart, to signify I was giving her my heart and she threw it in the trash and walked away. Naturally I was crushed. I came home crying obviously and thought I'd never get over it and about a week later, I'd forgotten all about her." We laugh a little as he lightens the mood. "Things always seem worse than what they really are, until you look back and it's completely something else. With some people, it takes a little longer to see it than others. Spencer will see that eventually." I let his words sink in, seeing his point. Still a little concerned about the age topic, I decide not to press on the matter, I don't want to argue anymore. An odd thought comes to mind and I begin to laugh.

"What's so funny?" He looks at me, skepticism written all over his face.

"Is it weird that I felt a little jealous over a six year old?" He visibly relaxes as he grins at me.

"No, it's sweet. Shows you care."

"I do." I say softly. His eyes burn into mine intensely, making me shy away. I focus on the picnic basket and as a ways of distraction ask, "Did you take these from the props room?"

"Yeah, I was trying to set a scene. I don't think it really worked, seeing as we're not in a park." I put the container of fruits down, deciding I've had enough.

"Well if we were in a park and we'd just finished eating, what would we be doing next?" He smiles at me playfully as he puts his fork and container down and off to the side.

"Well I'd pull you closer like this." He leans forward, taking my hands as I rise on to my knees and move towards him.

"And I'd put my arms around you like this." He pulls me closer and gently shifts our bodies so that we're lying side by side, with his arms wrapped around me.

"And I'd kiss you like this." His lips meet mine as he softly kisses me, caressing my face with is fingertips. I free my hand as I reach up to his face, pulling him closer to me as he tangles his fingers into my hair. He deepens the kiss holding my head to his mouth before he breaks away for a moment, mere inches away from my face.

"I don't want us to fight about age, Aria. I know there's a difference on paper but when I'm with you, I don't see it. I don't even feel it. I just want to be with you."

I reach up and brush his hair off his face, as I look up into his eyes. I nod my head and whisper, "So do I." He smiles as his eyes burn into mine, before he leans forward bringing his lips back to meet mine.

After a painfully short while, Ezra pulls away from me and looks at his watch.

"I have to go." Regret apparent on his face. "I have to get back before my next class." He hugs me tighter and kisses me on my forehead. I look up at his disappointed face and smile, happy just to have had this short time with him. He kisses my forehead once more, before he shifts to get up.

I begin to help him pack things away, separating the food from the props. Once I finish folding the blanket, I stand up, holding the props in my arms. Ezra having disposed the remainder food, stands watching me intently, smiling.

"What?" I ask skeptically, as I hand him the props. He stares at me a moment longer before he answers.

"I'm really glad we did this." His sentence and smile implying more than just words.

"Lunch or us?"

"Both." His answer causes me to light up, secretly grateful he's coming round to the idea of us.

"Me too. I missed you." His face erupts in to that boyish grin I love, making him seem younger than his years. I begin to laugh as he pulls me close and kisses me.

All too quickly he pulls away as he says, "You better go. I'll put these away and leave after." He kisses me once more and then reluctantly let's me go as I pick up my bag and head for the exit.

"Hey what are you doing tomorrow night?" He asks quickly, before I disappear completely.

"There's a new restaurant that's opened up in town and Hanna wants to try it."

"Maybe you could stop by after? For ice cream?" A smile plays on his lips and I laugh.

"Yeah I could do that." I grin at him, remembering our conversation from Saturday night, after I left his apartment to go to Spencer's.

"See you in English?" He grins at me, no doubt remembering the same thing.

"See you in English." I turn and walk away unable to stop myself from grinning.

The next day, after Hanna and I learn that Spencer and Emily won't be able to make the restaurant tonight, we begin to arrange plans on our own. Hanna more adamant than ever to see the plan through, refuses to cancel her reservation seeing as it was so hard to get. We begin to make our way towards my locker as Noel approaches us.

"Ladies. Big plans after school today?" He looks more at me than Hanna.

"We're going to that new Thai restaurant in town. You?" I open my locker, uninterested in his plans.

"Actually Noel, what are you doing tonight?" Hanna cuts in before Noel answers my question.

"I've got lacrosse practice after school, that's it so far." He looks at Hanna confused by her curiosity.

"Well me and Aria have reservations at that new Thai restaurant in town and since Spencer and Emily had to bail, why don't you and Sean come instead?" I freeze looking at Hanna in shock. She looks at me and Noel, a cunning smile crossing her face.

"I'm sure you have other plans." I jump in too quickly.

"Aria he just said he's only got lacrosse practice after school, same as Sean. C'mon Noel, what d'you say?" I glare at her as she looks at Noel expectantly.

"Sure, it sounds fun." He smiles at us as Hanna lights up.

"Great! I'll text you the details." She looks from me to Noel, ignoring my glower as she smiles ecstatically.

"Great. I'll see you tonight ladies." Noel gives me his famous Noel Kahn smile and then turns as he begins to walk down the corridor.

I turn to Hanna exasperated as I say, "Uh Han, what was that?" Still smiling as she watches after Noel, she turns to face me, her smile disappearing when she sees the sullen look on my face.

"It's just dinner, Aria. Spencer and Emily can't make it, so I thought Sean and Noel could instead."

"It's more than just dinner." I say matter-of-factly, seeing through her ulterior motives.

"I don't know what you're talking about. It _is_ just dinner." She brushes it off innocently but her enthusiastic smile makes her intentions clear. I slam my locker shut, not even wavering her mischievous grin.

I look around my room hurriedly as I search for my keys. After school I had emptied my closet of clothes, looking for the perfect outfit to wear tonight for when I see Ezra. Knowing Hanna would appreciate good fashion sense, I didn't mind looking a little over the top but now that Noel was coming too, I knew she would take my little fashion show as being for Noel's benefit. Considering she was still clearly on the mission of getting Noel and I together, I had to tone it down a lot. I decided on a simple dark blue off the shoulder top, dark jeans, brown boots all paired together with my leather jacket and an armful of accessories. I left my hair straight like it had been the whole day at school, hoping to seem as casual as possible to Noel and Hanna.

I finally find my car keys and grab my bag, as I make my way downstairs. As I walk out the front door, I see Noel's car approach in my driveway. I stare at his car confused as he horns at me and I walk over.

"Hey, get in." He says smiling at me coolly.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" I look at him confused.

"Hanna told me to pick you up. I made it just in time or you would have left by now." Why does Hanna keep doing this?

"Erm it's ok, I can drive myself." I smile as I turn to walk away.

"Afraid I can't let you do that. I'm under strict instruction to pick you up and drop you home." I sigh frustrated. I need to drive, so that way when I leave, I can stop by Ezra's apartment.

"Noel, you don't have to. We can tell Hanna you picked me up if you like."

"Well I'm already here, you might as well get in." I stare at him for a moment, knowing he's not going to back down. Hanna probably told him not to take no for an answer as well. "C'mon, we don't wanna keep Hanna waiting." I'd like to keep Hanna waiting all night, I think darkly. I sulkily get into the car, putting my seatbelt on in frustration. Noel smiles at me sincerely before he drives off.

The car journey to the restaurant remained somewhat silent on my part. Noel tried to indulge in little conversation and I responded in short answers, still sulking from not being able to drive my own car, like I had planned.

Once we get to the restaurant, we're seated immediately. Noel and I sit opposite each other, and after a while I take my phone out, wondering why Hanna and Sean are fifteen minutes late. We sit in an awkward silence, taking in the interior before my phone beeps with a message from Hanna, distracting us.

**Me and Sean can't make it. Explain later.**

My eyes widen as I read the message over and over again. I cannot believe she is doing this! This was her plan all along, to set me and Noel up on a double date and then bail, so that we would be left alone together.

"What did she say?" Noel asks, nodding towards my phone from across the table.

"Her and Sean can't make it."

"So it's just the two of us?" He gives me a knowing smile, as if I had planned this.

"Yeah, I guess." He hands me a menu and I take it from him, avoiding his gaze. I barely even look at the menu before the waiter arrives and I order the first appealing thing I see. As the waiter walks off, Noel gazes at me over the candle in the middle of the table and I look anywhere else but at him. He opens his mouth to speak but I cut him off before he begins.

"I'll be right back. I need to call my mom and tell her I got picked up, incase she wonders why my cars still in the drive but I'm not home." He nods and smiles as I get up, not really caring how lame my excuse sounded. I make my way into the bathroom, thankful it's empty. I get my phone out and dial Hanna's number.

"Aria?"

"You better have a really good excuse why you're not here Han." My voice sounding threatening over the phone.

"I do but I can't talk."

"That's not good enough Hanna. I think Noel thinks we're on a date and that I planned this!"

"Aria I really can't talk right now."

"Hanna? Hanna-" The phone line goes dead as she cuts the phone on me. I lean over the sink, groaning in frustration. Nothing tonight is going according to plan. I take a deep breath as I begin to think. Maybe if I play nice I can get this night over and done with and leave early. Then maybe once Noel's gone, I can get my car and go to Ezra's. I look at my watch, realising how much time I've wasted since I got here. I better talk fast and eat quick if I want to make it over to Ezra's by a reasonable time. I straighten myself out and exit the bathroom as quickly as I can.

Once I return, I plaster a polite smile on my face as I indulge in conversation with Noel, hoping to make time go quicker. We cover all the basics, school, lacrosse, tv shows, music and I sit there and laugh at every one of his jokes, whether their funny or not. He seems to be having a good time and I'm secretly pleased for him, until I glance at my watch and realise how long we've been here for. I mentally panic, realising it might become too late to see Ezra. I purposely begin to yawn, over and over to indicate how tired I am. Noel eventually takes the hint and we leave.

Once parked up outside my house, Noel turns to me.

"I had fun tonight."

"Yeah, me too." He stares at me for a moment and I know he's deciding whether or not to kiss me. I think fast and yawn before I say, "I'm beat. I'm going straight to bed." I undo my seatbelt and reach for the door handle. "Thanks for the ride." I open the door quickly and jump out the car. He nods, seeming conflicted and I don't even want to ask what's wrong. I just want to get in my car and go.

"We should do this again sometime soon." He sounds hopeful.

"Yeah, with Hanna and Sean." I say reply, hoping to relinquish that idea. "Good night." I say as I shut the door.

"Sweet dreams." He smiles, still on my driveway, waiting for me to go in. I begin to walk slowly towards the front door, hoping once I hear his car go, I can get into my car and make my way over to Ezra's. However, Noel waits in my driveway until I'm fully inside my house with the door shut, before he decides to drive off.

Once inside I pull out my phone while I wait for Noel's car to make some distance between my house, before I step back outside again. Seven missed calls and three messages from Ezra.

**Hey, what time are you coming round?**

**Is everything ok? Call me.**

**Aria?**

I'm just about to call Ezra back when I'm suddenly distracted, hearing hushed voices from the living room. I slowly creep towards the living room, the hushed voices now sounding like a quiet argument.

"What do you mean it didn't mean anything?!" Ella looks furious, as Byron tries to calm her down.

"It was a long time ago. Before we went to Iceland-" Byron stops talking instantly the moment he sees me. Ella turns to face me, anger still evident on her face, while Byron looks at me like he's seen a ghost.

"What's going on?" I ask, looking at them with concern. They're both silent for a moment, as I look back and forth at both of them.

"Nothing, sweetie. Just a miss understanding." My dad tries to cover it up but I'm not buying it. I turn to face Ella, whose looking at the floor in deep contemplation.

"Mom?"

She looks up distracted from her thoughts. "Huh?" She shakes her head in irritation, "It's nothing Aria. Just a miss understanding." She turns facing Byron, who looks back at her anxiously.

"But mom-"

"Go to bed." She cuts me off as she speaks with a serious tone, alarming me. I stare at her confused, what just happened?

"Go to bed Aria." She turns toward me, the glare on her face telling me she is not to be argued with.

I turn on my heel and make my way upstairs to my bedroom. What was that about? I don't think I've ever seen Ella this angry before.

I sit on my bed, contemplating for a moment longer, before I remember Ezra. There's no way I can leave my house now to see him. I get my phone and quickly dial his number. The phone rings and rings but no answer. I call again this time leaving a message on his voicemail.

"Hi it's me. I'm really sorry about tonight. I got caught up at dinner. I'll everything explain later. Can you just call me when you get this. Thanks. Bye." I hang up and get ready for bed.

My parents still haven't gone to bed and I'm half tempted to sneak back downstairs and listen in on their conversation but with the glare Ella gave me, there's no way I want to run the risk of getting caught and facing her wrath.

Once I'm dressed and in bed I look over at my phone, still no calls or messages. This has turned into such an unfortunate night. And with a sigh of frustration, I reach over and turn the light off and fall into an unsettling sleep.

* * *

My apologies for not having updated lately. I was faced with some serious writers block and just generally got busy with life.

To answer some of your questions... The chapters don't begin with a poem but with lyrics from a song that I feel fit in well with the theme of the chapter itself. You can google the lyrics but if you still can't find the song, just ask me and I'll tell you.

No, I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen in the story, you'll have to wait and find out! I don't completely know myself yet but I'm just grateful I know what the next few chapters will hold.

If you guys have anymore question, feel free to ask and I'll get back to you.

But for now I'm back, writers block can officially kiss my ass! And I'll update as often as I can.

Enjoy :)


	9. A Little Less Sixteen Candles

_"I confess, I messed up,_

_Dropping "I'm sorry" like you're still around,_

_And I know you dressed up,_

_"Hey kid you'll never live this down",_

_Cause' you're just the girl all the boys want to dance with,_

_And I'm just the boy who's had too many chances"_

"Aria!" I carry on walking down the hallway trying my best to ignore her, even though everyone else seems to have noticed. "Aria, wait!" She catches a break when I stop at my locker.

"What Hanna?" She stands in front of my locker catching her breath.

"Ok you're mad. I get it."

"Mad doesn't even begin to cut it." I throw my history book into my locker, expressing my anger.

"Would help if I said I had a crappy night too?" I roll my eyes as I slam my locker shut and begin to walk off.

"You left me with Noel Kahn. After I had told you I am not interested in him that way. How many times do I have to tell you I don't like him till' you back off!"

"Look I know-"

"And what's worse, I think he actually thinks I like him. I think he thinks I planned last night, after you made him pick me up! I mean what was all that about?!" I take a deep breath, still so mad at last nights events. Noel picking me up, Hanna and Sean cancelling, not being able to see Ezra and my parents arguing. To top it all off, Ezra still hasn't called me back or replied to my messages and there was a chilly reception from my parents, at breakfast this morning. The more I replayed everything in my head, the more angrier I got.

"I didn't plan on cancelling last night." I give her a skeptical look. "Ok look, I know I planned Noel coming to dinner and picking you up but I didn't plan on cancelling. Me and Sean got into a really big argument last night." I take a deep breath trying to calm myself.

"How big?"

"Break up big."

"You guys broke up?" My eyes widen in shock.

"Not exactly." She sighs in defeat before she decides to continue further. "He's been talking to this girl at his 'abstinence' class and he kept mentioning her to me. At first it wasn't a big deal but now every time we get in to an argument, he compares us. I just don't get it, does he want this girl instead of me? That's what we got in to an argument about last night, that's why we had to cancel." My face softens as I begin to feel sorry for her.

"How long has he known her?"

"Not long but the way he talks about her, you'd think he's known her forever." She looks down at her shoes, saddened.

"Well what did he say when you guys talked?"

"The same thing he always says. He denies he has feelings for her and thinks I'm delusional." She looks so sad, an emotion I'm not used to seeing from Hanna, who always looks so fierce and strong. I reach out and place my hand on her arm in a supportive way.

"I'm sure it's not what you think."

"Then why does it feel like it's exactly what I think."

"You guys are the strongest couple I know, Han. You've been together longer than most of us. You'll get through this. Sean would be crazy to like another girl over you." I smile at her reassuringly, my anger now forgotten. We continue walking, turning the corner, stopping in front of Emily's locker where her and Spencer stand.

"Guys I'll be right back, I just gotta ask Mr. Fitz something." I walk off towards Ezra's classroom as they begin to talk amongst themselves.

I look through the classroom window to make sure he's alone. He sits at his desk, looking down at his work, grading assignments. I have no idea how to decipher his mood since he's not called me back, so I just hope for the best before I knock on his door. He looks up, his eyes shinning when he sees me. I walk in as he puts his pen down.

"Hi." He speaks first. He can't be that mad at me if he's smiling.

"Hi." I close the door and walk closer to his desk. "I'm so sorry about last night. I got caught up at dinner and when I got home it was late and-"

"Aria, it's ok. I understand."

"You do?" Not the reaction I was expecting.

"Yeah. It happens."

"Are you sure? Only cause' you haven't been returning any of my calls or messages?"

"Yeah, sorry. I got kind of side tracked grading papers." I look at him still unconvinced. "Uh, how was dinner with Hanna?"

"It ended up being me and Noel."

"You went to dinner with Noel?" His tone shifts from calm to concern.

"Hanna invited him and Sean since Spencer and Emily couldn't make it and then last minute her and Sean had to cancel."

"So you just went with Noel instead?" His voice sounding borderline accusatory.

"We were already there when Hanna cancelled." His face hardens, all previous emotions having disappeared. "Ok why are you looking at me like that?" My eyes narrow as I try and interpret his look. His eyes widen in shock as if having been caught out.

"I'm not looking at you like anything." I tilt my head to the side, eyes still narrowed. "It's just Noel likes you."

"Yeah but I don't like him."

"I know that." He says too quickly. "But does he?"

"What are you saying?" My voice now defensive.

"I'm just saying maybe all this time spent alone with Noel, might give him the impression that it means more to you than he thinks." He studies me with caution, waiting for my reaction.

"I don't spend time alone with him! Ok I was alone with him that night you saw us at the bar and last night, because Hanna and Sean cancelled but I don't spend time alone with him like that." I try to control my voice, not wanting to get in to an argument about this.

"That's not really my point." His voice laced with restraint as he tries to prod at the topic once more.

"I get your point. I just don't really think it's necessary. Me and Noel are just friends. He gets that." Or does he? My mind flashes back to the memory of Noel dropping me home last night, as he sat there staring at me, contemplating whether to kiss me or not. I shake my head free of that thought as I focus back on Ezra. The atmosphere between us seems to have shifted as he gazes at me sweetly, no doubt having decided to end the conversation there before it turns into an argument.

"So I was wondering what you're doing tomorrow night? I could come over, cook us dinner to make up for last night?" He smiles that boyish smile I love, before it fades away too quickly, when his eyes widen with realization.

"I can't. I have plans." Disappointment apparent on his face.

"Plans?" I look at him questioningly.

"Yeah, uh my old room mate from college is coming to town for the weekend, so we said we'd catch up on old times."

"The dog-napper?"

"Yeah, Hardy." He grins pleasantly, recalling the memory. "How about Saturday?"

"Saturday's good. Yeah I could come round about six?"

"Six it is." We stare at each other for a moment, grinning helplessly before there's a knock on the door. We turn our heads in alarm, apprehension having displaced our delight. Another student hesitates by the door, before he opens it and walks in.

"Sorry to interrupt Mr. Fitz, do you have a sec?" Ezra stands before he responds.

"Yeah sure, Miss Montgomery and I were just finishing up here." His voice now sounding more authoritarian like. He turns and looks at me for a second too long before I snap back to reality.

"Right!" I hitch my bag higher on to my shoulder. "Thank you Mr. Fitz. I'll make sure to stick to the deadline this time." A subtle smile crosses his lips as he nods, having received my message. I turn and walk out the classroom, passing the other student, who's completely oblivious to what's going on between us.

I sit, mindlessly playing with my food, as I silently recall the memory of my lunch date with Ezra. I smile to myself, remembering our moment of passion on the blanket, as we lay beside one another, wrapped in his arms.

"I have been looking everywhere for you." I snap out of my reverie as Hanna approaches my table, interrupting my thoughts. She puts her bag down on a chair and takes the seat next to it. "I have a favour to ask."

"Why do I have a feeling I'm not going to like this?" I look at her suspiciously.

"I need you and Noel to come on a date with me and Sean tomorrow night." Straight to business.

"I was right, I don't like this." I look at her with a grim expression.

"Look me and Sean have been arguing a lot lately. I just thought if you and Noel come with us tomorrow night, it won't be so bad. We might actually get through a night without fighting. Maybe then we can start getting back on track."

"Hanna..."

"Come on, please! I really need your help. I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't serious. Me and Sean could really break up. Come on, pleaseeeeee-"

"Alright, fine." I cut her off, knowing she's not going to back down until I agree to go and also partially buying in to her guilt trip.

"Awesome!" She smiles brightly, clearly pleased with her efforts. I sigh in defeat.

"Where are we going?"

"To the movies." Great, another evening spent with Noel, this time in the dark.

"I'm driving my own car." She nods, giving me a small smile. "And this isn't a date for me and Noel."

"I'll tell him it's just a night at the movies with friends." I doubt he'll see it that way.

"Fine." She grins enthusiastically, although my expression begs to differ.

I head downstairs before dinner time, ready to set the table. I hear the usual movement in the kitchen, knowing my parents are adding the final touches to dinner. As I get closer to the kitchen entrance, I hear my parents arguing again, quietly.

"I know it seems hard right now but we'll get through this and everything will be ok. Trust me." Byron soothes.

"Well I don't." Ella snaps back. She takes an exasperated sigh. "I'm leaving. I need some time to think."

"Where are you going to go? Ella it's dinner time. The kids will worry?" I hear her footsteps getting closer to the kitchen entrance, where I lurk. Any second now our paths will cross. I straighten myself out, trying to seem casual as I walk into the kitchen.

"Hey, what's going on?" Byron's eyes widen when he sees me and immediately turn to Ella.

"I can't stay for dinner sweetie." She says flatly, as she walks into the foyer to grab her coat.

"Why not?" I try to hide the worry in my voice.

"I have a meeting." And with that she opens the front door and walks out the house, saying no more. I turn back towards the kitchen, Byron standing there dumbfound.

"Ok what is going on? You and mom were fighting." He snaps out of it to meet my gaze.

"It's nothing Aria, just a misunderstanding." He turns back towards the counter.

"Well that didn't sound like a misunderstanding. And mom left with some excuse about a meeting. What happened?"

"Your mother just needs some space. She'll come round." He was point blank ignoring my question.

"But-"

"I'll set the table. Call your brother down for dinner." He opens a cupboard and pulls out three plates, before heading over to the dinning table. He avoids meeting my gaze through the whole process of setting the table and by that, I know I'm not going to get anything out of him. I'll just have to wait until Ella gets back but something tells me she won't be back for a while.

After Mike had finally come down, we sat at the dinning table to eat, Byron and I feeling the tension. Mike didn't seem to notice a thing, buying the whole excuse that Ella went to a meeting and happily going on about lacrosse practice. Byron participated in the conversation every now and then but I could see his thoughts were elsewhere. I hardly participated in the conversation at all, trying to figure out what's going on between my parents.

Once dinner was finally over and the table cleared, I ran up to my room grabbing my phone. I needed to talk to somebody and the only person I wanted that to be was Ezra. I dial his number as I sit impatiently waiting for him to pick up. No answer, I ring again. I thought he'd just be at home grading papers. Maybe he left his phone on silent.

Half an hour later I ring again, still no answer. He can't be that busy grading papers.

After waiting the whole night for Ezra to call and Ella to come home, I eventually decide it's time to go to bed. After all the messages and missed calls I had left Ezra, I had to finally accept he wasn't going to call me back tonight and Ella wasn't going to make an entrance anytime soon either. Byron could continue waiting up for her alone, there's no way I'm going to get anything out of her at this hour. With an exasperated sigh I turn out the light and fall into a restless sleep.

I wake in the morning, not feeling so well rested. I reach out on my bedside table to check my phone. One message from Ezra.

**Hey, sorry I was busy. Everything ok?**

I think after the amount of missed calls and messages I left him, it would be a clear indication that everything's not ok. I begin to type a response but stop. I sigh in frustration, where to begin? I think it'll be easier if I just talk to him at school. I put my phone down and groggily get out of bed. On top of everything else, tonight I'm going to have to go to the movies with Noel Kahn as a favour to Hanna. I frown deeply. Today is not going to be a good day.

The day at school didn't get any better. I got all of five minutes alone with Ezra before someone interrupted us and even in those five minutes, I wasn't able to tell Ezra what had happened with my parents last night. He seemed too distracted, talking about seeing Hardy to even notice or question my grim facial expression. I was happy he was excited, as he spoke animatedly but his good mood couldn't seem to rub off on to me, as I recalled the memory of Ella at breakfast this morning. Her snappy mood seemed to have fueled mine for the day, as I walked around with a dark cloud over my head.

Once I got home I didn't even want to think about seeing a movie or anyone else for that matter. But I knew I had promised Hanna and she needed my help.

Around seven o'clock I turn up at the cinema, Hanna, Sean and Noel already waiting for me.

"Hey!" Hanna greets me with the widest grin yet.

"Hey." I respond glumly.

"We got you a ticket." She hands it over to me.

"Thanks." I take it from her, not caring to even look at what movie we're seeing. I say hi to Sean and Noel, noticing the over exaggerated smile Noel gives me, responding with a small one. We indulge in conversation, as we wait in the very long que for popcorn and drinks. After a while the boys begin to drift off in conversation about lacrosse and Hanna takes the opportunity to scold me, while the boys aren't listening.

"You could at least act like you're glad to be here!" She whispers.

"I'm not." I say looking at her pointedly.

"Well you're already here now, so act like it!" I take a deep breath, holding in my response. I really don't want to be here but I am for Hanna. I know it's better to just go along with it, especially if I don't want to face the aftermath from Hanna if I don't comply.

"Fine." I say, turning to Sean and Noel and joining in on their conversation. I fake a smile and a laugh here and there, getting a nod from Hanna in approval who seems to relax a little now.

After having paid for the food and drinks, we turn to exit the que. As we begin to walk away from the concession stand, I freeze on the spot when I see Ezra waiting in line. I stare at him, speechless for a second, until the next customer impatiently pushes past me. I walk towards Hanna and the boys, trying to get a better look, my heart plummeting when I see he's with Jackie. Hanna stares at me confused, turning to see what I see and that's when she sees him.

"Hey Mr. Fitz!" She calls enthusiastically. Ezra turns to look at her, seeming nonchalant until he notices me. His whole body stiffens as his eyes widen in surprise. Hanna waves again and he quickly snaps out of it as he nods his head at her, before his eyes land on me again. Jackie turns towards us to get a glimpse at what Ezra's looking at and I quickly turn away, hoping she won't recognize me.

"Looks like he's on a date." Hanna suggests, turning back to me. I immediately turn to look at them, Ezra still staring back at me. They did look like they were on a date. Is this why he hasn't been returning any of my calls or messages? Was he with her last night when he said he was 'busy'?

"We should go in. The movies gonna start soon." Noel says as he moves closer to me. Ezra's eyes immediately flicker to Noel and I can see how this looks. His expression hardens and he narrows his gaze at us. I turn away, not wanting to bring any attention to the situation and head inside to the movie.

An hour in to the film and I have no idea what's going on. My thoughts are too distracted with Ezra and Jackie, only wishing I could see them in the dark. The moment they both walked in to the same screen as us, I had strained my eyes trying to catch glimpses of them from what little light I could get from the screen. We of course were watching a horror movie, so not much light was being shone on the audience.

As couples got closer together watching the scary scenes, Noel had tried putting his arm around me, reassuring me he's here if I get scared. But since I wasn't actually watching the movie, all his efforts went to waste.

After a while I was fed up. My head and eyes hurt, from trying to focus in the dark and I really couldn't care less to watch this movie.

"I'll be right back." I say as I get up and make my way towards the exit.

Once outside I take a deep calming breath. The lights sting my eyes as I begin to look around the empty hallway, everyone else having disappeared inside to various screens. I walk along the posters on the walls, mindlessly stopping next to one to lean against the wall it hangs on. I dig out my phone from my pocket, wondering how much longer I can take.

"Aria?" I look up immediately, gaze locking with Ezra's. "Are you ok?" I stare at him impassively, watching him move closer towards me. "I came to check on you."

"Shouldn't you be inside with your date?" I purposely enunciate the last word.

"Me and Jackie aren't on a date." He looks at me confused.

"That's not what it looks like."

"Me and Jackie are here as just friends."

"That's not what Hanna and Noel think. You even look like a couple." I recall the memory of Noel commenting on this, that night at the bar.

"I don't care what Hanna and Noel think. I only care about what you think."

"Is this why you haven't been returning any of my calls and messages? You've been busy with Jackie?" His face scrunches with annoyance.

"No, Aria. I didn't return your calls and messages because I didn't see them. I was busy grading papers because Hardy was meant to be coming in to town today and I knew I wouldn't get a chance to look at them while he's here."

"Then why are you here with her and not Hardy?"

"I bumped in to Jackie earlier and I mentioned Hardy was coming into town for the weekend. I did not know she would invite herself to come along. By the time I got here, she was already here and Hardy called saying his flight was delayed and that he wasn't going to be able to make it until tomorrow morning." I sigh, giving him a doubtful expression. "Aria, what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just cancel. We were both already here." I feel a sense of déjà vu, knowing I'm not going to win this case.

"Ezra she likes you."

"And Noel likes you." He throws back at me.

"But I'm not here with Noel, alone."

"But you're here on a date."

"It's not a date! I'm doing Hanna a favour, for her and Sean. It's not a date."

"Does he know that?" How did this conversation go from being about him and Jackie, to me and Noel?

"Yes." I lie.

"You're sure?" I frown as he patronises me.

"What about Jackie? How do you know she doesn't think you're on a date?" Childish I know but it was the only card I had left.

"Because we're not. Hardy was meant to be here, she knows that." How convenient for her Hardy had to cancel, I cynically think.

"Ezra, you guys dated in college. She's clearly still got feelings for you. Why can't you see this?" His face hardens as if I've hit a nerve.

"Aria, I am done talking about Jackie. Can we just forget about it and move on." He speaks to me in that authoritarian voice he uses in class for his students. I'm not done talking about it but I know he won't let this continue further.

"Fine. And while we're at it, let's just forget tomorrow night." I begin to walk off, having canceled tomorrow night's dinner plans.

"Aria…" Too angry and wound up, I don't even turn around before I head back into the movie.

The movie doesn't go on for much longer. I sit there silently seething until the end credits roll in and we all get up to leave. Once outside, Hanna and Sean discuss whether to carry on to some place else or to just end the night here. One glimpse at my face and Hanna knows I can't be persuaded in to anything, so she decides we should probably all turn in.

After we all say our goodbyes, Noel kindly walks me to my car.

"This was fun." His happy mood contrasts with my bleak one. "We should do this again sometime. I can't believe you didn't get scared."

"Noel, you know this wasn't a date right?" I get straight to the point, Ezra's words still playing around in my head. Noel looks at me hesitantly before he answers.

"I know but maybe next time you and me could-"

"Noel I like you, you're great and we have fun together. But there's this guy and it's complicated."

"From Iceland?" He fills in the blanks for himself. I nod in response.

"I figured as much. You seemed kind of distant." Looks like he noticed more than I thought.

"I'm sorry. It's not you, it's…"

"It's me. I know the line." He smiles it off and I feel terrible, knowing he deserves better. "So what happened to you and the Iceland guy?"

"There's just all this complication between us." I sigh deeply. "I mean I know what I want to happen but there's so many obstacles in the way and there's only so many ways this can end."

"Do you think maybe you're better off apart? With all the complications and distance between you, it's gotta be hard." I take a deep breath as I voice my thoughts.

"That's the thing. Even with all the complications it's still worth it." And I know deep down inside it really is. I'm angry with Ezra right now but even through all my anger, I don't regret us getting together for a second. I don't wish for anything to change. I'm exactly where I want to be, for better or worse.

I smile at Noel whose watching me intently.

"I hope it works out for you. Actually that's a lie. But if it doesn't, I'll be here, waiting, just incase you decide to change your mind." He smiles his famous Noel Kahn smile but it doesn't carry the conviction it usually would.

"Thanks." I smile politely, not really knowing what else to say. After we say our goodbyes, I start the engine and pull out on to the main road. As I pass the cinema, I see Ezra and Jackie standing outside talking. The walkway outside the cinema is now empty and they're the only two left standing.

_How long does it take to say goodbye?!_ I darkly think. I make a left at the end of the road, my anger having returned as I drive home in irritation. I know the next time I see Ezra it won't be good… But even I know I wouldn't have it any other way.


	10. Look After You

"_If I don't say this now I will surely break,_

_As I'm leaving the one I want to take,_

_Forget the urgency but hurry up and wait,_

_My heart has started to separate"_

**S.O.S.**

I get up off my bed looking for my jacket and shoes to slip on, before I grab the car keys and leave the house. Hanna having given me the perfect excuse to stop my lounging and moping, as I make my way downstairs into the living room, where my dad sits grading papers.

"I'm heading out to Hanna's."

"Ok sweetie. Have fun."

I walk out the front door towards the car and get in. Part of me itching to get to Hanna's, knowing her S.O.S. must be about Sean and the other part just wanting to get out of the house and out of my own head.

As I make my way over to Hanna's, thoughts of last night play over in my mind. All day I have thought about nothing else since. I can't get over how touchy Ezra was when I mentioned him and Jackie dating in college and even though I know deep down he hasn't got feeling for her anymore, I still can't seem to shake this feeling.

I slowly pull up outside Hanna's house and turn off the engine. I take a deep breath, hoping to expel my thoughts, before I get out and head up the drive to the front door. Hanna lets me in and I follow her through into the kitchen. Spencer and Emily still haven't arrived yet, so it's just the two us as we take our seats at the kitchen counter. She takes a moment before she speaks to look down at her hands and I give her the moment without interrupting her, as she collects her thoughts.

"Me and Sean broke up." My eyes widen in shock but she doesn't see it, as she makes no attempt to look up at me.

"When? I was with you guys last night. You seemed fine?"

"We were until the drive home."

"Why what happened?" She swivels in her seat and looks up at me. Taking a deep breath, she stills for a moment before she jumps into her story.

"On the way back he kept saying how Anna, that's _her _name, would have loved the movie. How she would have been totally scared and Anna this and Anna that and… I just couldn't take it anymore. I told him he has feelings for her and he denied it again and then I told him I couldn't keep doing this." Her voice drifts off and she pauses, looking down at the counter.

"What did he say?" I try to encourage her to continue.

"He didn't want to break up. He thinks I'm being paranoid and jealous but she is literally all he talks about. Anna's so great. Anna likes this. She said this. She did that. I'm sick of it!"

"Do you want to break up?"

"No but I don't want to be in a relationship where there's three of us." We both stay quiet for a moment, her sentence saying all that it needs to, before we're distracted by the door bell. Spencer and Emily arrive in the kitchen as Hanna returns and the next couple of hours are spent talking about Hanna and Sean as well as other things.

"You know what, I am done talking about Sean. If he wants some other girl, he can have her. Let's go out tonight."

"Where?" I ask, intrigued.

"Let's go to that bar near Hollis, The Attic."

"College boys, Hanna are you serious?" Spencer eyes her questioningly.

"What?" Hanna meets her gaze.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to get over Sean by meeting college guys?" Hanna rolls her eyes at Spencer's patronizing words.

"It's not like I'm going to get married!"

"She's right Han, maybe it's not such a good idea." Emily adds in, concern in her voice. Hanna sighs in defeat.

"I'm not looking to meet a guy, I just want a distraction. Anything that will stop me from thinking about Sean. I am literally going crazy being cooped up here all day." I know exactly how she feels. I came over here for a distraction, looking for the perfect excuse to get me out of the house, to escape my thoughts.

"I'm in." I quickly add before Spencer or Emily has a chance to reason with her.

"Yes!" Hanna lights up. Spencer looks at me accusingly, knowing I'm encouraging Hanna in the wrong way but we're both in desperate need.

"What? She needs a distraction. A girls night out could be fun." I shrug it off like it's not a big deal but deep down inside I know it's exactly what I need. I avoid Spencer's stare and she gives up, turning towards Hanna to work her condescending look on her.

"Oh c'mon Spence, it's not like you're having the best time of your life at the moment either. You could use this too." Spencer looks momentarily stunned, tensing, knowing Hanna's referring to her recent break up with Alex. After a moment she relaxes a little and sighs in defeat.

"Fine." She says through clenched teeth. You could tell she wasn't pleased but Hanna didn't care, as she smiled excitedly. Knowing the deals as good as done, she looks over at Emily, knowing it's not going to take much convincing to get her on our side.

"Em?" She speaks softly but you can hear the excitement in her voice.

"Fine, I'm in as well." Hanna's face erupts in to a huge grin as she looks from Emily to Spencer and I.

"Tonight is going to be awesome! I can just see it! Besides, college guys are way hotter than high school boys!" She laughs it off, choosing to ignore Spencer's glare and Emily's anxious look.

Emily and I make our way over to Spencer and Hanna, seated near the edge of the dance floor. We pass them their drinks and take our seats to join them watching the rest of the crowd dancing.

"Man I wish our parties were like this." Hanna says taking a large sip of her drink. She seems to like it, as she continues to take more sips but something tells me she needs the liquid courage more. She looks stunning in her strapless gold sequence dress and gold heels, no doubt looking to make a few heads turn.

"Let's dance!" She downs her drink and looks at us expectantly. Spencer looks from Emily to me and I down mine in an instant and take Hanna's lead. The girls hesitantly follow as we make our way in to the center of the dance floor. We begin to dance, moving rather stiffly at first until the alcohol begins to hit us, loosening us up.

We only begin to have fun when we finish our second cocktail, moving in ways we never thought we could. Hanna seems to be enjoying herself as well as all the male attention, as she happily dances away. Even Spencer can't deny she's having fun, smiling more than a few times at some of her admirers. Emily and I dance away, just content in the moment and I finally begin to feel some mental peace, as my thoughts of Ezra begin to become less intense and blur away.

"Lets get another drink!" Hanna shouts over the loud music. I look to the others, surprised that no one protests.

"Sure." I shout, as I stop dancing. We turn to make our way through the crowd, leaving Spencer and Emily in the center of the dance floor. It takes a while to weave through the crowd as we bump in to all the other dancers, apologizing along the way. We finally make it out of the throng of people, heading for the bar, until someone grabs my arm.

"Aria?" I turn instantly, wondering how they know my name.

"Noel?" We both look at each other for a moment, shock written all over my face. "What are you doing here?"

"Me and the guys felt like a night out. You?" I look past him, seeing Sean and all the other familiar faces from Rosewood's Lacrosse team.

"Girls night out." I shrug it off casually but mentally I'm panicking, knowing it's just a matter of seconds before Hanna sees Sean.

"Aria wha- Noel?" Hanna looks at him confused and then she looks past him and I know it's too late. She sees Sean and her happy, carefree exterior vanishes as she stiffens and they lock eyes on each other. Sean approaches us, standing next to Noel.

"Hanna?" He looks her up and down, clearly stunned by how she looks, before his eyes land on hers again. "What are you doing here?"

"Girls night out." Hanna says bluntly and then turns to look at the crowd of people on the dance floor. Me and Noel look awkwardly at each other, both feeling the tension radiating off Hanna and Sean.

"You look incredible." Sean says, still looking at her amazed.

"I know. We're going to get a drink." She turns and walks away, alcohol having given her the confidence she needs. I smile weakly at them both before I turn and follow after her. Once I catch up with her she slows down, more for my benefit than her own.

"I can't believe they're here." I say, partially feeling sorry for her.

"I can." She says bluntly.

"Wait, what do you mean?" I tug on her arm to stop her from walking further, as she turns to face me.

"I overheard them talking about it. I didn't think they'd actually turn up."

"So you knew they were coming here and you decided to come anyway? Even though you wanted to get your mind off Sean?" I look at her, confused by her logic.

"I thought if I turned up here, dressed like this, Sean would see how much better I am than Anna and would realise what a mistake he's made."

"And all that "I just want a distraction, anything that will stop me from thinking about Sean" was?" She takes a deep breath and rolls her eyes before she responds.

"It was true, I did want a distraction. One of the guys had lost his fake ID and I overheard Noel say they're going to have to cancel. I didn't think they would actually turn up after that. And when we were dancing, I had forgotten they were even planning on coming, until now." I stare at her for a moment, before I look back at the boys.

"So what do you want to do now?" I sigh, thinking she's going to make us leave and then I'll be trapped in my mind again, thoughts haunted by Ezra.

"Nothing. I'm not leaving. Why should I? I was here first." Technically, they planned to be here first, I think to myself but don't voice my thoughts.

"You sure?" I study her closely, trying to see if she's lying just to put on a brave face.

"Yes. Sean can see what he's missing, what a mistake he's made." Oh he will, I think to myself. In that dress, Sean doesn't stand a chance. I smile at her, glad to see Sean hasn't faltered her confidence and secretly grateful we're not leaving. "Let's get a drink." She nods her head towards the direction of the bar and turns to walk off, as I follow behind her.

As we begin to approach the crowded bar, I notice a group of guys to my right. They seem to be having a good time, as they take shots and burst into laughter.

_Yep, definitely college guys,_ I think until one of them turns around. I freeze, blinking a couple of times thinking I must be drunk… Hoping I must be drunk! Ezra laughs along with the guys as one of them continues telling a story. A few seconds pass before someone bumps into him and he turns as they apologies. He smiles it off and begins to turn back around and that's when he sees me. His smile fades so fast, as surprise takes over his expression. He stands, frozen, staring at me, as I stand a few meters away mirror his expression.

"Aria?" Hanna approaches me, seeming exasperated with me continuously falling behind. I snap out of it as I turn to face her.

"I'll be right back." I turn and walk off so fast, I only just hear her call after me. I rush towards the bathrooms, hoping it's somewhat empty, that people had decided to use the other bathroom within the establishment. I burst through the door, startling some of the girls already inside and head straight into a cubicle. I put the lid of the toilet seat down and take my seat as I take deep breaths, trying to calm myself. I rest my elbows on to my knees and frame my hands around the sides of my head as I lean into them, trying to gather my thoughts.

_Why? Why tonight of all nights do I have to see him? I've been avoiding his calls and messages all day, I just wanted to get my mind off everything and now he's here in plain sight!_

"Aria?" I hear Hanna's voice on the other side of the cubicle door. "Aria, you in here?"

"I'll be out in a sec." I call. I take a deep breath, thinking maybe I can convince Hanna to leave. I stand up, knowing I can't stay in here all night and flush the toilet, using it as my alibi before I come out.

"You ok?" Hanna asks, looking concerned, Spencer and Emily next to her.

"Yeah I'm fine." I try to brush it off as I go through the motions of washing my hands.

"You rushed right passed me and Emily." Spencer states and I know she's looking at me suspiciously.

"I'm fine, really. I just needed to use the bathroom." I avoid looking at her as I dry my hands, not wanting to face her questions. "Sean's here." I quickly say, trying to deflect the attention from myself. Hanna's expression changes from shocked to slightly annoyed, knowing she's about to face an inquisition.

"What?" Emily says confused.

"Noel's here." Hanna says, looking at me pointedly. She turns to face Spencer and Emily, avoiding my irritated gaze, as she tries to turn it around on me and get me back.

"What do you mean they're here?" Spencer asks looking from both of us. I roll my eyes at Hanna's childishness.

"Half the lacrosse teams here." I answer, knowing Hanna's not going to want to tell Spencer the truth.

"Ok, what are they doing here?" I remain silent as Spencer directs the question more at Hanna than me. Hanna looks at Spencer for a moment, clearly in deep thought about how to tell her, before she sighs and decides to explain.

"They're on a guys night out. They planned it a while ago but they cancelled, because one of them lost their fake ID but I guess they found it now, because they're here. It's not a big deal." She rushes over her words, getting it over and done with.

"So you knew they were going to be here?" Spencer asks.

"Why would you want to come here if you're trying to forget Sean?" Emily adds in.

"I didn't think they were coming. I heard Noel say they had to cancel plans but I guess not anymore." She conveniently leaves out the part about wanting Sean to see her dressed up, making him regret ever knowing Anna.

"Do you want to leave?" Emily asks, sympathy in her voice.

"No, its fine." Hanna responds slightly irritated.

"Maybe Em's right, Hanna. Maybe we should leave?" I will her to agree but when she turns to look at me frustrated, I know it's no use.

"No! No one's going anywhere. This is our night. There are plenty of people here, we won't even see them."

"And if we do?" Spencer had to ask.

"We'll just ignore them." She stares Spencer down, daring her to question her again.

"Alright fine." Spencer says in defeat, knowing it's best not to press on the issue further. Hanna's face softens as she forces a small smile.

After a quick check in the mirror, we leave the bathroom. We head to the bar and I slowly walk behind the girls, dreading seeing Ezra again. Relief floods through me when I see he's no longer there but then I begin to anxiously look around, wondering where he's gone.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Emily asks, noticing my strange behaviour. I open my mouth to speak but luckily Hanna answers for me.

"She's just a little jumpy because Noel's here." I mentally thank her, for once grateful for her reading the situation wrong.

"Yeah, it's just a little weird." Emily nods and says no more.

As a few people leave the bar with their drinks, we spot Sean and Noel and a few of their friends getting served. I turn and look at Hanna, hoping she hasn't noticed but it's too late as she's looking directly at them.

"We can go to the other bar on the other side of the room?" Emily suggests.

"No, it's fine. I have to get used to seeing him around." She turns away to look at the drinks behind the bar and then smiles, as an idea comes to mind. "Who wants tequila?" She says as she looks at the bottle intrigued.

"I don't think that's such a good idea?" Emily says hesitantly.

"You're right, we should do vodka." She smiles devilishly and I can't help but laugh, as I see the old Hanna make her return.

"Hanna!" Emily urges, with a serious edge in her voice.

"Oh come on! Live a little! What's the worst that can happen?" She's right, it's not like this night can get any worse for us and the alcohol seems to be helping me get my mind off everything.

"I'm in." Emily turns to look at me as Hanna grins. "What? It's a girls night. Lighten up!" I shrug it off, trying to seem nonchalant.

"I'm in too." We all turn, shocked to hear those words from Spencer. "What? You said it's a girls night." Hanna turns to me with a face splitting grin, both of us knowing there's only Emily left to convince.

"Em?" Hanna says sweetly as she grins, both of us feeling a sense of déjà vu from earlier. "It's girls night. Are you in?" Emily looks to Spencer for support but she just smiles back in sympathy. She takes a deep breath, frowning before she tediously says, "I'm in," knowing she hasn't really got a choice. Hanna turns toward the bar, grinning ecstatically as she orders shots and drinks.

I make my way through the crowd in desperate need for some water. The atmosphere is too hot and the alcohol has made me thirstier than ever. I left the girls on the dance floor, everyone seeming to be in a better mood now that the alcohol has taken over. Once I finally make my way out of the crowd, I begin to walk towards the closest bar but immediately turn and walk the other way, when I notice Noel and all his lacrosse friends near by. Not really wanting to talk to them, I figure it's worth the longer journey to the other bar, just to avoid them.

I begin to walk, able to see the bar from afar until I feel someones hand on my arm, as they pull me to the side. I look up annoyed, until I see it's Ezra and then my tense exterior relaxes a little.

"Ezra?"

"Aria what are you doing here?" He asks in a stern voice.

"I'm here with my friends."

"And Noel?"

"He's here with his friends. What are you doing?" I pull my arm free from his grasp, feeling a little aggravated.

"I've been leaving you messages all day."

"And I've been avoiding you."

"Why because of Jackie? Aria, how many times do I have to tell you there is nothing going on between Jackie and me?"

"You want to do this here, now?"

"Not here." He holds out his hand for me to take and I hesitate as I look down at it. "Please?" I look up in his eyes and see the desperation and decide to place my hand in his. He looks around before he leads me around the bar and through a door. Once we're outside we walk a little, turning the corner until we're finally by the side of the building and out of sight. He sighs deeply, before he turns around to face me.

"Aria, why are we fighting about this? You know I don't like Jackie."

"But _she_ likes you. Why won't you see that?" I pull my hand from his, trying to dramatically make my point.

"Because I don't care! Aria, I don't care if she likes me. I am already interested in somebody else." I see the urgency in his eyes and I know it's true.

"But does she know that?"

"It's not exactly a conversation I can legally talk about." His mouth presses in to a thin line. I sigh deeply, trying to collect my thoughts, knowing I'm being unreasonable but I can't help it.

"It's just… It's a little weird because you guys used to date. And then I see you out together… I mean you guys look like a couple." I look down to the side, sadden by this notion of them.

"Aria, what's this really about?" He waits patiently for me to talk as I try to gather some courage for what I'm about to say.

"You guys can go out in public together. You can go to a bar, watch a movie, share popcorn, without having to face the consequences." I take a deep breath before I look up into his eyes. "Ezra, I know you said I would want more but what about you? With Jackie you don't have to sneak around. You don't have to pretend to help her with her homework assignment just to get a moment alone with her or make up some excuse about a personal matter, just to have lunch with her in the back of the auditorium room. With her you could have more." He remains impassive while I dig myself a hole, as I admit what's been eating away at me.

"Why would I want more with her?"

"Why wouldn't you?" I jump in fast, thinking he's missing the point I'm trying to make.

"Is that what you want? More?" I hear the angst in his voice.

"No but I don't understand how you don't?" He remains quiet for a moment, watching me intently as he collects his thoughts. I look away, knowing I've really done it this time.

"Because I wouldn't have this." He pauses, saying nothing further and I look up at him in anticipation. He looks down in contemplation for a moment before he meets my gaze again. "I wouldn't have this. Everything that I feel… I wouldn't have that feeling I get when I know I'm going to see you in class. Or the feeling I get when I turn a corner in the hallway and I'm surprise you're there. Or the way I smile when I hear your voice on the phone. Or the way I can't stand to let you go when I'm holding you or kissing you. And how even when we're fighting, it's all I want to do. I wouldn't have any of it. I wouldn't have you."

I'm stunned speechless at the sound of his words. I have no idea what to say but I know actions speak louder than words. Impulsively I move towards him, crashing my body to his, as I reach up and kiss him. He catches me immediately, wrapping his arms around me, reaching his hand up to tangle his fingers in to my hair as he holds my head against his. Our lips fight against each other, as we desperately reconnect through our kiss. And in our kiss, I feel every single word he spoke and the depth of their meaning.

We pull back for a moment to catch our breath, as he loosens his hold on me so I can stand a little straighter. He kisses my forehead and then lets go of the back of my head, as he slides his fingers out from my hair and places them on my lower back. I look up in to his eyes and feel the warmth of his gaze.

"I'm sorry." I say, with absolute sincerity.

"Don't be." He says softly and with that I know he understands.

My phone beeps with a message, breaking our gaze and he releases me to retrieve it. I pull out my phone from my purse to see it's a message from Hanna.

**Where are you?**

"Everything ok?" Ezra asks.

"Yeah, just Hanna, wondering where I am." I send her a quick reply, before I put my phone back in my purse.

"We should probably get back." He says disappointed.

"We should." I reply but neither of us moves. We just stand there staring at one another, until he makes the first move, taking a step closer to me.

"People might worry." He states as he slowly puts his arms around me.

"I know, you're right." I wrap my arms around his neck as he pulls me closer.

"We definitely shouldn't do this." He leans his face in, his lips inches away from mine.

"Definitely." And with that his lips meet mine and nothing else matters.

I walk into the center of the dance floor, finally finding my friends.

"Aria! Where have you been?" Hanna asks, spotting me first.

"Sorry, bathroom que was long." She looks at me suspiciously but then nods her head convinced and gets back to dancing. I join the others, smiling happily as my thoughts return to Ezra, glad that they're somewhat intoxicated to even notice.

After a while we exit the crowd in need of some water. Spencer and Emily break off from us to go to the bathroom and Hanna and I make our way over to the bar. On our way we're stopped by Sean, as he approaches us alone and I'm glad I can't see Noel by his side.

"Hanna can we talk?"

"There's not much to say." She stands a little straighter and folds her arms.

"Please?" He looks anxious as he looks from Hanna to me. She stares at him, momentarily making him squirm, before she sighs.

"Go on, I'll catch up with you."

"_You sure?"_ I mouth to her and she nods in response. I look at Sean before I turn away, feeling sorry for him for whatever's about to come.

I squeeze my way into the bar amongst all the people, as I wait my turn to be served. As the people next to me take their drinks and leave, I take the opportunity to spread out a little as everyone's squeezed so closely together. I accidentally bump in to someone and turn to apologise, until I see it's Ezra.

"Hi." I smile brightly.

"Hi." He smiles back and I'm unable to look away. "How's your night so far?"

"Yeah it's been good. You?" He smiles that boyish grin I love.

"I'm not complaining." I smile shyly, knowing the double meaning behind his words. I quickly look around incase I see any familiar faces, before I move closer to him. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"I'm actually getting water bu-"

"Aria?" I turn instantly in alarm, searching for where the voice came from. The couple next to me turn to leave the bar as they collect their drinks and that's when I see Noel next to them. He quickly slides over to me, as apprehension fuels my nerves.

"Noel." I say trying to sound cheerful. "How's it going?" I mentally kick myself but it was the only thing I could think to say.

"It's going good. Can I get you a drink?" He smiles at me coolly as I struggle to answer, silently praying he won't notice Ezra behind me.

"Uh, I'm actually getting water for me and the girls." I say a little too quickly. He looks at me suspiciously as he nods his head and I smile back, trying to seem casual and normal.

"So where are the girls?" I could tell he doesn't believe me.

"Spencer and Emily went to the bathroom and Hanna's over there, talking to Sean." I nod my head in their direction and when Noel turns his head to follow my gaze, I quickly turn my head to see Ezra standing with his back towards us as he waits to get served, no doubt trying to go unnoticed. I turn my head back quickly, in time to see Noel finally spot them and turn back to me, as I smile like nothing had just happened.

"Do you think they'll get back together?" He asks and I know he's partially fishing for information.

"Who knows?" I shrug, not being very helpful.

"I know Sean's pretty cut up about it." I nod, not saying anything further, although I can tell he was hoping I would. "So what about you? Any luck with the Iceland guy?" I tense, knowing Ezra can hear us.

"Yeah, we managed to clear things up." I choose my words carefully, hoping Ezra will know we're talking about him.

"That's good." He smiles but it doesn't meet his eyes. I nod and turn to face the crowd, noticing Hanna making her way through the throng of people.

She looks annoyed as she reaches us and Noel gives us a quick smile before he says, "I'll leave you ladies to it," and heads in to the crowd to leave.

"Everything ok?" I ask once Noel's gone.

"No." She says taking Noel's place before someone else does.

"What happened?"

"He still doesn't get it. He still thinks I'm being crazy. He's... You know what, I don't even want to talk about it. I just want a drink." She turns towards the bar, looking for a bartender whose attention she can grab. Once in service, she orders some shots and drinks before I have a chance to stop her. I rack my brain trying to think of a way to get out of drinking them, as the bartender starts setting down our drinks. I look out at the crowd of people until I spot Spencer and Emily scanning the crowd for us and wave desperately, until I get their attention.

"There's Spencer and Emily." I say, trying to prolong the inevitable. They make their way over to us as they try to get past all the people. Once they approach us, Spencer eyes the selection of drinks Hanna's ordered as Hanna starts dividing them.

"I thought you guys were getting water?" She looks from Hanna to me for an explanation.

"Well now we're getting drinks." Hanna responds as she hands everyone a shot. Spencer looks at me confused.

"Hanna spoke to Sean." I say, as a way of explanation. "It didn't go well." I add in quickly. Spencer nods in understanding.

"Han, you ok?" She ask, concern filling her voice.

"I will be once I drink this." Hanna gestures the shot in her hand before she knocks it back. No one makes an attempt to say anything, knowing it's not a good idea to even try. She looks at us expectantly, waiting for us to drink. We look at each other hesitantly, none of us wanting to take the shot.

"Well?" Hanna states and we know we have no choice but to drink. I look at the others, taking a deep breath before I knock it back and they follow suit. She passes us a drink each and we gladly take it, in desperate need to get rid of the raw alcohol taste.

I put my shot glass down on the bar and step back a little as Spencer and Emily reach forward to do the same. As I step back and drop my hand from the bar, my hand lightly brushes past Ezra's. Our hands manage to find each other again, as he slips his fingers through mine. I make no attempt to move, as my body conveniently conceals our hands. He gently squeezes my hand and I have to fight the urge to not turn around, as I try my hardest to concentrate.

Hanna signals the bartender and he pours us another four shots. She knocks hers back as she passes the rest to us.

"Hanna, I think you should take it easy." Spencer says.

"God Spencer, it's just a shot!" She exclaims. Spencer gives her a reprimanding look and Hanna glares back at her. "If you're not going to drink it, fine!" She takes the shot out of Spencer's hand and knocks it back, taking a sip of her drink to wash it down with.

"Spencer's right Han, maybe you _should_ take it easy." I state, still holding my shot.

"Not you too." She takes the shot from my hand and pours it in to her drink, stirring it with a straw. "I wanna dance. Lets dance." She says as she turns to put the shot glass down. We all give each other worrying glances, knowing this isn't going to end well.

Hanna moves forward, between Spencer and Emily as she attempts to make her way through the crowd. Emily quickly puts her shot down on the bar and tries to follow after her. Spencer sighs in frustration, also putting her drink down and I know I have to act fast, before anyone notices what I have been trying so hard to conceal. I lightly squeeze Ezra's hand as I try to let go. He untangles his fingers with mine, holding on to my fingertips until I actually have to move. I slowly follow behind Spencer, as a mountain of people try to move forward into our vacant spot.

We dance for a while, all of us keeping an eye on Hanna. I was already feeling quite drunk but my body was fighting to hold on to the last remaining senses I had left, for Hanna's sake. Emily made a couple of trips to the bar to get some water for us but Hanna didn't accept the offered glass, as she held on to her drink, trying to dance her problems away. She got more drunk as we slowly sobered up and by the time her drink ran out, we had decided she had had enough.

"Ok you've had enough. We're leaving." Spencer says once we make our way out the crowd.

"No! I want another drink." Hanna slurs as she tries to stumble her way forward towards the bar. Emily and I quickly grab a hold of her before she falls.

"No, we're leaving now." I say as I try my hardest to support her weight. "Spence get her coat. We'll meet you outside." We make our way towards the exit, pulling Hanna along with us, despite her protests.

Once we're all outside, we jump into a cab and make our way to Spencer's house, trying to keep Hanna awake until we get home. Hanna crashes the moment we get in and after we put her to bed, the rest of us raid Spencer's kitchen for something to eat.

"She's going to hate tomorrow morning." Emily states, taking a bite of leftover pizza.

"Well let's hope she's in a better mood tomorrow." I say before taking a sip of my drink.

"I doubt that." Spencer states and we all know it's true.

I turn on my back, sighing in frustration. While everyone has drifted of into a deep slumber, I remain wide-awake, tossing and turning. I grab my phone to look at the time, it's only one-thirty. If we hadn't left so early, we'd probably still be inside the bar and I would be trying to find ways to sneak off to see Ezra again.

My thoughts begin to drift off to him, as I reminisce his words and our long, passionate kiss. I smile in the dark, thoughts of him keeping me awake as time passes, until I hear my phone vibrate. I squint my eyes, the light from the screen blinding me, as I see it's a message from Ezra.

**Hey, you awake?**

I quickly type my reply.

**Yeah, can't sleep. What are you doing?**

I stare at the screen, my eyes adjusting to the brightness, as I wait for his reply.

**Can I see you?**

_Now?_ I think to myself. I look around the room and see everyone's fast asleep. Could I actual see him now? I get up and slowly creep out of bed and in to the hallway. I make my way into the bathroom and close the door soundlessly, before I call him.

"Hey." He answers after the second ring.

"Hi." I whisper.

"I was hoping you'd still be awake." He sounds pleased.

"Can't sleep. Where are you?" I hear music in the distance from his end.

"I'm just outside. I snuck away. I was hoping to see you?"

"I'm not at home, I'm staying at Spencer's." I say disappointed.

"Do you think you could get away?" He's still optimistic.

"Everyone's asleep. I can try."

"Great. Should I pick you up in ten?" I hear the smile in his voice.

"I'll text you the address."

"Ok, see you soon."

"Ok, bye." I quickly hang up, smiling as I text him the address but my smile doesn't last long when I realise I have to try and sneak out of here.

I creep back into the room to grab my bag and head back into the bathroom, to get changed. I hide the bag in the bathroom, hoping no one will see it and quietly creep down the hall and stairs to the living room. Once downstairs I put on my shoes on and wait for Ezra's text.

**I'm outside.**

I unlock the door, stepping out and shutting it quietly behind me. Ezra waits in his car, parked a little before Spencer's house. I quickly make my way towards it and get in as he drives off. Once we park up on some random deserted street, he shuts off the engine and removes his seat belt.

"Thanks for meeting me." He says turning towards me. I smile in response as I remove my seat belt and turn in my seat to face him. "I wanted to see, not just to see you but also because I wanted to tell you…" He looks down for a moment in contemplation before he speaks again. "Aria, I don't want more." He looks up at me and I see the sincerity in his eyes as he continues to speak. "I don't want more, not if that means loosing you. Because if I lost you, I'd loose myself and I _can't_ loose you."

"Ezra-"

"I know you think I'd be better off with Jackie or somehow happier but I wouldn't be. I know I have a history with her but in all of our time together, I had in no way felt with her, the way I do when I'm with you. When I'm with you, I don't care about anyone or anything else. All I know is that I want to be with you and the rest of the world could disappear. I'd be lying to you if I said it didn't scare me." I study his conflicted face as he turns away from me.

"Scare you how?" He turns back towards me and I see the depth of the conflict written all over his face and immediately regret asking the question.

"Because so much could go wrong, Aria. This is such a big risk we're taking and it's too late to back out."

"Is that what you want? Out?" I hold in my breath as I wait for his reply.

"No. Not even if I could." He says quickly, looking me straight in the eyes as he tries to erase any unsettling doubts. I let out the breath I was holding in, as I wait for him to continue. "Things will get more and more complicated and we're not always going to see eye to eye. We'll fight, if not about Noel and Jackie, then about something else and we'll get frustrated because there's not much we can do about it, given the circumstances." He pauses as he reaches for my hand and looks up at me to continue. "What I'm trying to say is I don't care, as long as I'm with you. As long as I have you, it's worth every fight, every complication, every circumstance. Because I can't loose you. If this was all we could have, then this is all I'd want, all I'd ever need. I don't care about anything else." My heart melts at the sound of his words as my eyes become cloudy with unshed tears. I blink away the tears and reach out to touch his face.

"Ezra…" My thumb circles his cheek as he leans in to my palm. "You have me." I whisper. He closes his eyes for a moment and when he opens them again I see him as he is, nothing more, nothing less. His eyes shine with so much emotion, I feel completely lost in them and as he continues to gaze at me, I know each one of those emotions are for me.

He leans towards me as his hand tucks my hair behind my ear. He caresses my cheek, holding my gaze for a moment before he leans in to kiss me. And when he kisses me, I feel every ounce of feeling through his kiss. I feel his desperation, his fear, his need for me and as I kiss him back I return to him the hope, the promise that everything will be ok, that I'll never leave and that I can't loose him either. And as the world falls away, it's just me and him in this moment, because this moment is all we have and the rest of the world disappears.

I now understand exactly what he meant when he said it scares him, because it now scares me too.

Ezra's phone beeps with a message and he reluctantly pulls away from me to retrieve it.

"I better get back. Hardy's wondering where I am."

"Hardy? That's who you were out with?" I smile curiously.

"Yeah. We actually used to go to that bar a lot when we were in college." He smiles back on the memory, before he turns in his seat to do his seat belt. I mirror his movements and once we're both set, he starts the engine and pulls out on to the street.

He stops the car in the same spot, before Spencer's house. I undo my seat belt and turn to face him, not really wanting to get out. We both smile at each other in silence, before a thought crosses his mind.

"Oh, I'll be seeing you tomorrow."

"You will?" I look at him confused.

"Yeah, I bumped into your mom earlier and she invited me round to discuss the New York trip and to finally discuss the works of Earl Fishard." I gasp, as he reminds me of the English class workshop trip I'd signed up for, at the beginning of the year.

"The New York trip! I'd totally forgotten!"

"You're still going aren't you?"

"Of course. I can't believe I forgot. Are you going to be there?"

"I wouldn't miss it." He grins his boyish smile and I lean in to kiss him before I pull back briefly.

"Earl Fishard?" I question, raising an eyebrow.

"I still have no idea what his works about! I'm going to have to brush up on my reading tomorrow." We both laugh as he places his hand on my cheek. I lean in to kiss him one last time, before I reluctantly pull away and reach for the car door.

Once outside, I hold the car door open as I lean down to look at him and say, "Have a good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiles sweetly as he nods. "Sweet dreams, Aria."

"Yeah, you too." I smile before I stand straight and quietly shut the car door. He waits until he sees me go inside the house, before he starts the engine and drives off. Once I'm inside the house, I sneak back into the bathroom to get dressed and am grateful when I return to the bedroom, that everyone's still fast asleep. I lay down, unable to stop grinning, as I try my hardest to drift off into a pleasant sleep.


End file.
